A former secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Owerri branch, Chinedu Agu, said the police in Imo State, Nigeria’s South-east, have invited him for allegedly defaming Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State.
Mr Agu, a lawyer, posted the police invitation letter on his Facebook page on Friday, 9 September.
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In the letter addressed to him, the office of the X-Squad Unit of the police in Imo said they were inviting him over an alleged criminal defamation of character and conduct likely to cause breach of peace.
The police said they were investigating the alleged defamation.
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The letter added that the meeting with Mr Agu will be held on Wednesday, 17 September, in the X-Squad office at the police headquarters, Owerri.
However, the police invitation did not disclose who the lawyer allegedly defamed.
‘Imo govt behind police invitation’
Reacting to the police letter, Mr Agu said in a Facebook post that the invitation stemmed from a petition allegedly lodged by the Imo State Ministry of Information against him.
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The lawyer, who said he would honour the police invitation, lamented that the state has taken “a thousand steps backwards into an era reminiscent of military rule, where freedom of expression is stifled, voices of truth are muffled, and mouths demanding good governance are deliberately gagged”.
“As a citizen and advocate for good governance and human rights, I remain unwavering in my commitment to the constitutional values of democracy, transparency, and accountability,” he said.
My crimes
In another Facebook post, Mr Agu said the Imo State Government was “haunting” him for speaking out on “vital issues” in the state.
He said that since March 2025, he has consistently and lawfully exercised his constitutional right to free expression in calling upon the Imo governor to appoint the most qualified person as acting chief judge of the state, following the dismissal of the former substantive chief judge in November 2024.
In 2024, the National Judicial Council recommended the duo of the Chief Judge of Imo State, T. E. Chukwuemeka Chikeka, and the Grand Kadi of Yobe State, Babagana Mahdi, for compulsory retirement over falsification of their ages.
Mr Agu said he pursued this advocacy through open letters and by instituting suits before the High Court of Imo State.
More criticisms
“On 26th August 2025, when it was announced that the Governor of Imo State would host a Dinner in Enugu for Imo lawyers attending the Nigerian Bar Association Annual General Conference, I authored a piece titled, ‘How Can We Feast While the House of Justice Burns: A Response to Imo State Government’s Invitation to Imo Lawyers for a Welcome Dinner in Enugu’, published on 27th August.
“In that article, I criticised the propriety of hosting such an event in Enugu while Imo State remained without an Acting Chief Judge, an Attorney-General, vacation courts, or even a functional Ministry of Lands capable of conducting a simple search.”
Mr Agu said he published another article on 29 August, “Tears from Enugu: A Lawyer’s Heartbreaking Diary from a State that Works to a State in Ruins,” juxtaposing his experiences in Enugu with the “decay in Imo”.
“The Honourable Commissioner for Information, Mr Declan Emelumba, issued a rejoinder in which he described my piece as ‘Satanic Verses’ and told all manner of lies against me. I have also been a subject of abuse by many media handlers of the government since then.
“On 31 August 2025, I published yet another article titled ‘Imo State: Where Justice is on Vacation During Court Vacation,” decrying the unprecedented absence of vacation courts in Imo State—an omission that has never occurred in the State’s judicial history and one that singularly distinguishes Imo as the only State in Nigeria without functional vacation courts during this vacation period. I highlighted the implications for human rights, economic development, and the rule of law.”
The lawyer said that when photographs of Nigerian governors, including the Governor of Imo State, surfaced on 5 September 2025 as they bade farewell to President Bola Tinubu at the airport en route to vacation, he authored another article, “Waving at Planes as Imo Churns is Chasing Rats While the House Burns.”
He said the article condemned the frivolity of such outing, while the justice sector in Imo lay in a comatose state, and insecurity plagued the state.
“Most recently, on 10th September 2025, I challenged the constitutionality of the resolution of the Imo State House of Assembly renaming Douglas Road after Governor Hope Uzodinma. I noted that such power lies with the Owerri Municipal Council, and I urged the Assembly to focus on its constitutional oversight mandate rather than trivial pursuits,” Mr Agu said.
NBA, CSO, police speak on the matter
The Owerri branch of the NBA, in a statement on 13 September, called on the Imo State Government and the commissioner of police in the state to ensure that the police are not used as a tool to suppress free speech.
The NBA directed its team to monitor the police invitation process and ensure that Mr Agu’s rights are fully respected.
A civil society organisation, the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), faulted the police invitation to the lawyer.
According to a statement by Executive Director, Okechukwu Nwanguma, Mr Agu’s only “offence” appears to be his consistent, lawful, and constructive criticism of governance in Imo State – particularly on issues of constitutional compliance and the administration of justice.
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The group urged Governor Uzodinma and his spokesperson to desist from allegedly using the police to harass a citizen who is acting within the right to freedom of expression guaranteed under Section 39 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
When PREMIUM TIMES contacted the Commissioner for Information in Imo, Declan Emelumba, on 13 September, he denied filing a petition with the police against Mr Agu.
The police spokesperson in Imo, Henry Okoye, told this newspaper on 14 September that he had seen the invitation letter to Mr Agu but had yet to verify it.
He said he would get back to our reporter after verifying the letter, but he had yet to do so as of the time of filing this report.
Clampdown on critics
In November 2024, the police arrested a former commissioner for foreign affairs in the state, Fabian Ihekweme, for his frequent criticism of Governor Uzodinma’s administration.
Mr Ihekweme was later released in January.
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