Activist Agu accuses Imo govt of instigating his arrest with phantom petition

Activist and lawyer, Chinedu Agu, has accused the Imo State Government of instigating his recent arrest on what he described as “phantom charges” supported by a fictitious petition.

Agu, a former secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Owerri branch, was recently granted bail by the Federal High Court in Owerri after being arraigned on charges of criminal defamation, incitement, and conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace. He pleaded not guilty.

In a detailed statement titled “Criminal Defamation or Criminal Intimidation: Exposing Phantom Charges Against Me”, Agu alleged that the action against him was politically motivated. “The persecution against me was directly initiated by the Imo State Commissioner of Information,” he claimed.

He further argued that the petition cited by police was fraudulent. “The so-called civil society organisation presented as the originator of the petition against me – Imo Democratic Alliance, allegedly coordinated by one Umukoro Marvis Udechukwu – does not exist in Nigeria. It is not registered and has no traceable office address anywhere in the country,” Agu said.

Narrating how he was invited by the police, Agu recounted: “At 12:47 p.m. on 12 September 2025, my phone rang. The caller introduced himself as a police officer and informed me that there was a petition against me for ‘criminal defamation of His Excellency, the Governor of Imo State’.”

According to him, the officer initially confirmed the petition came directly from the Ministry of Information but later told him to “call Oga” if he wanted a copy. “Oga categorically told me I could not be given a copy of the petition except I applied formally to the Commissioner of Police for a Certified True Copy,” Agu recalled.

He criticised the police for withholding the document, insisting that such denial violates constitutional rights. “This refusal by the police to furnish a citizen with a copy of the petition raises grave constitutional and statutory issues. Denying access clearly violates my right under Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution,” he argued.

When finally allowed to see the petition, Agu described it as “a farce: a hastily contrived letterhead, garishly designed, with no office or return address.” He said it misrepresented two of his articles—“Tears From Enugu: A Lawyer’s Heartbreaking Diary” and “Imo State – Where Justice Is On Vacation During Court Vacation”—and accused him of attempting to provoke insurrection.

“Everything I wrote in my two pieces is factual and truth is a complete defence to defamation,” he maintained. “The fictitious organisation did not allege defamation of itself, nor did Umukoro Marvis Udechukwu allege defamation of his own person.”

Agu also said he discovered through a Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) search that the group did not exist. “Imo Democratic Alliance is legally non-existent. To use such a phantom entity as source for a law enforcement procedure is itself criminal,” he alleged.

He credited his temporary release to the solidarity of colleagues. “But for the courage of Magistrates in Imo State and the overwhelming solidarity of lawyers, civil society organisations, and friends, I would have been languishing in detention much earlier,” he said, noting that 72 lawyers accompanied him to the police station.

Concluding, Agu declared: “I welcome genuine legal process. I am not afraid of lawful process but I already suspect that is not what this is about.”

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