A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr Kolawole Olowookere, has petitioned the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice (AGF), Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, over an alleged bid to arraign a community leader, Chief Nwigwe Emeka Williams, before a Federal High Court in Abuja on alleged terrorism and kidnapping charges.
The senior lawyer in the petition asked the Justice Minister to wade into the plight of the community leader by probing the circumstances that led to the new move with a view to ensuring that justice prevail.
The grouse of the senior advocate is that the alleged kidnapping and killing of the traditional ruler of Amanze community in Imo State, Eze Basil Okafor on 17th December, 2022, had been thoroughly investigated by the Special Tactical Squad (STS) of the Force Headquarters, Abuja, and those indicted arrested, prosecuted and some of them jailed.
He told the AGF in the petition that the alleged conspiracy and kidnapping was investigated twice by the Special Task Force and that twice the community leader was not found culpable in anyway.
The senior lawyer expressed surprise that two years after those indicted in the alleged crime had been put on trial, some lawyers in the Federal Ministry of Justice, allegedly acting the script of external forces, suddenly woke up to rope the community leader into the charges.
He said that since the police concluded their investigation, there had been no new facts or fresh evidence to warrant the inclusion of Nwigwe Emeka Williams as a defendant in the alleged crime.
The police investigation report of 30th September, 2024 with reference No; CB;4099/FID/STC/FHQ/ABJ/T.4/Vol.4/94, which listed the suspects arrested, indicted and put on trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja in the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/575/2023, was attached to the petition.
In the police report, the community leader was found to have contributed N1 million out of the N4 million ransom demanded by the kidnappers and that the contribution was made through the account of one Charles Njoku, the younger brother of the late traditional ruler.
The senior lawyer asserted that instead of using the community leader as a witness in the trial, those involved opted to include his name as a defendant to settle scores.
Accusing those involved of abuse of prosecutorial powers, the senior lawyer pleaded with the AGF to probe the circumstances that led to the inclusion of the name of the community leader as a co-defendant.
He requested that the probe be promptly conducted before the community leader would be arraigned on May 22 in Abuja.
The petition was received and acknowledged by the Attorney General on April 10th, 2025.
