Missing South-East youths: Lawyers demand trial or release

UMUAHIA — A coalition of legal practitioners representing families of detained and missing persons in the South-East has called on the Federal Government to either charge detainees to court and prosecute them or release those against whom there is insufficient evidence.

The lawyers also appealed to the international community to intervene in what they described as prolonged detention and alleged disappearance of youths in the region.

Speaking at a press conference in Umuahia, Abia State, the lawyers said their demand was rooted in the constitutional right to due process, stressing that no person should be held indefinitely without trial.

The statement, read by a legal practitioner, Mr Olusegun Adekoya, on behalf of an independent legal team working with human rights organisation, Fiat Justicia Juris, said several families had endured years of uncertainty over relatives allegedly arrested during security operations in the South-East.

The team said it was acting on the instructions of Mazi Chris Nwaọgụ, Head of the Directorate of State of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), but stressed that its intervention was based on constitutional rights and the rule of law.

‘Detention must not replace trial’

The lawyers expressed particular concern over allegations that some suspects arrested in the South-East had been transferred to distant military detention facilities, including the Wawa facility in Niger State, where they were allegedly held for prolonged periods without being brought before civilian courts.

They argued that the proscription of IPOB did not extinguish the constitutional rights of individual Nigerians.

According to them, alleged membership of a proscribed organisation should not automatically result in indefinite detention, as every accused person was entitled to due process.

“Produce them. Charge those against whom admissible evidence exists. Try them before competent civilian courts. Release those against whom there is none,” the lawyers said.

They maintained that the same standard of justice should apply to all Nigerians, irrespective of ethnicity, political affiliation or the nature of allegations against them.

Families demand information

The lawyers said families had continued to bear the consequences of prolonged detention, with many allegedly lacking reliable information about the whereabouts or condition of their loved ones.

They cited the case of Mrs Calista Ifedi, whom they said had reportedly been detained since 2021 over an alleged connection with IPOB and was later reported to have died in custody.

The lawyers demanded that her remains be released to her family and that the circumstances surrounding her reported death be investigated.

They also announced plans to compile a comprehensive register of missing persons based on sworn statements from affected families and submit the documentation to relevant international and regional human rights bodies.

While acknowledging the need for security agencies to investigate and prosecute armed attacks and other violent crimes, the legal team said the fight against insecurity should not come at the expense of constitutional safeguards.

They referred to the recent attack on St Joseph Catholic Church, Inoyi-Affa, Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State, where worshippers were reportedly abducted during Mass.

The lawyers commended the subsequent security operation that led to arrests, recovery of firearms and rescue of victims, describing the development as an example of how criminal allegations should proceed through investigation, arrest and prosecution.

They, however, questioned why suspects allegedly linked to IPOB activities could remain in detention for years without being brought to trial.

According to them, security and justice should complement rather than undermine each other.

Seek international intervention

The lawyers appealed to the United Nations, African Union, European Union, United States, United Kingdom and other international actors to pay closer attention to allegations of arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, torture and unlawful killings in the South-East.

They cited previous reports by human rights organisations documenting alleged abuses linked to the region’s prolonged security crisis, while calling for independent investigations into specific allegations rather than blanket assumptions of guilt.

The team also announced plans to present photographic evidence, medical reports, affidavits and testimonies from families and survivors at a subsequent briefing.

“The grieving families want to know where their relatives are, whether they are alive and, where evidence exists against them, when they will finally face trial,” the lawyers said.

They added that further legal and accountability proceedings were being prepared against relevant federal security institutions and other authorities.

The lawyers said their objective was not revenge but justice and accountability in accordance with the law.