Constituents of Enugu South Urban State Constituency on Monday stormed the ongoing Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) annual general conference at the International Conference Centre (ICC), Enugu, in a peaceful protest over the continued incarceration of Bright Ngene, a lawyer and winner of the constituency seat election.

The protesters, carrying placards with various inscriptions such as “NBA please help release Barr Bright Ngene to represent his constituency,” “The people’s choice is not a crime,” “Say no to miscarriage of justice. Free the people’s choice,” and “Enugu State judiciary must be independent from the executive,” demanded the immediate release of their elected representative, Ngene, who has been in jail since July 28, 2024.

Ngene, a member of the Labour Party, won the Enugu South 1 State Constituency seat in the March 2023 elections but was jailed following what his supporters described as a “baseless and politically motivated” criminal charge after an appeal tribunal quashed his election in 2023.

While still in prison, he, however, won the by-election conducted by the INEC on August 16, 2025.
Speaking at the protest, spokesperson of the group, Kachukwu Benedict, explained that the continued incarceration of Ngene despite winning re-election from detention in the August 16, 2025, rerun, amounted to “grave injustice and a subversion of democracy.”

“We are here to register our peaceful protest to tell the world what has been happening in Enugu State for the past year. Since July 28, 2024, Hon. Bright Emeka Ngene, who won the House of Assembly seat for Enugu South Urban, has been unjustly incarcerated,” Benedict said.

“Charges against him were baseless, judicial processes were not followed, and in less than two weeks, judgment was dispensed. Efforts to get the matter before the High Court have proved abortive as judges continue to recuse themselves, while the Chief Judge has refused to assign the case. This is the highest point of injustice meted out to anybody,” he added.

The protesters accused the Enugu State judiciary of bowing to political pressure, alleging that the executive was behind Ngene’s prolonged incarceration.

They appealed to the NBA and senior lawyers attending the conference, including human rights activists like Femi Falana (SAN) and Monday Ubani, to intervene and ensure due process.

“We are not afraid of going through the judicial process. No matter the judgment that comes, we will accept it in good faith. But up till now, the case has been in comatose at the High Court. All we are asking is that the judiciary be allowed to do its job,” Benedict said.

The protest, which drew attention from conference delegates and passersby, was largely peaceful, as the group emphasised that their mission was to “beg, not fight.”