Skip to main content

How I Was Illegally “Jailed” Three Months" By Ikenna Samuelson Iwuoha

July 30, 2010

With due respect to the Imo State Judiciary, I will open up to the world and let the people to know how the judiciary has been abused and desecrated in Imo State using my case with Mr. Ikedi Godson Ohakim (the state governor) as a test case.

With due respect to the Imo State Judiciary, I will open up to the world and let the people to know how the judiciary has been abused and desecrated in Imo State using my case with Mr. Ikedi Godson Ohakim (the state governor) as a test case.

It is an acknowledged fact that I Citizen Ikenna Samuelson Iwuoha exposed the criminal activities of the state governor Mr. Ikedi Ohakim to the world. I also made sure that these criminal activities were reported to appropriate agencies in this country like the EFCC, FORCE HEADQUARTERS, OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL of Police, Police Service Commission, the Presidency, the Imo State House of Assembly etc. I have consistently maintained that I am in a position to prove my allegations  against the fraud infested leadership of Ikedi Ohakim. Till this very moment, the discredited and useless Imo State House of Assembly have refused to set up a probe  panel to invite me despite my three letters to them to that effect as follows (1) 2nd June 2008 (2) 14th September 2009 (3) 9th January 2010.

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('content1'); });

My petitions against the directionless and money laundering government of Ikedi Ohakim is still with all the Security Agencies in this country. Therefore having made several efforts to melt down my opinion against his corrupt government by harassing me with men of the SSS, Police, Secret cult boys, assassins, offering of bribes in millions of naira,  dragging me to court etc and thoroughly failed,  Mr. Ikedi Ohakim decided to have me abducted. This was done on the 21st of January 2010. I was abducted by Ohakim’s armed men and was brought before him on the said date. Mr. Ikedi Ohakim came down from his Olympian height and personally assaulted me in the office of the governor at gun point. (I even wrote an open letter to Mr. President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan explaining how Ohakim desecrated the office of the Governor).

I have since dragged Ikedi Ohakim to court for this Human Right abuse and desecration of the Office of the governor by Ohakim himself. Sensing that I was about to prove my allegations  of his assault on me, Ohakim decided to use his power as governor to abuse and desecrate the Imo State Judiciary by using the magistrate in charge of court 1 Mrs. Victoria Isiguzo and the Deputy Director of Public prosecution one Mr. Akobundu to carryout this judicial hatchet  assignments.

THE STORY BEGINS: I citizen Ikenna Samuelson Iwuoha was brought before the Owerri Magistrate Court 1  presided over by Mrs. Victoria Isiguzo with blood stained clothes and wounds all over my body on the 25th of January 2010, to answer charges of “defamation” of character. My lawyer Barrister L. M. Alozie requested that I pulled off my clothes for the court to see the wounds Ikedi Ohakim inflicted on me. Mrs. Victoria Isiguzo refused. My lawyer requested that I tell the court my ordeal in the hands of Ikedi Ohakim. Mrs. Victoria Isiguzo refused. My lawyer requested that I be taken to hospital for treatment for my wounds. Mrs. Victoria Isiguzo refused. Rather Mrs. Isiguzo remanded me in Owerri Prisons custody for 8 days obviously to allow my wounds to heal and deny the general public to see my fresh wounds.

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('content2'); });

On the 2nd of February 2010 I citizen Ikenna Samuelson Iwuoha was brought to court and was granted bail with stiff conditions attached. But I was able to scale through. On the 5th of February 2010, my account on how Ikedi Ohakim Personally assaulted me through beating, hitting, head butting, flogging of koboko, tearing of my clothes and stripping me naked in the office of the governor of Imo State at gun point was made public by me. The account exposed the true Ikedi Ohakim to the world. Although efforts were made by the Imo State government to deny my exposure, I was still able to match my accounts with facts and mentioning of prominent peoples names involved in the plot and injustice against me. Today the Imo State Commissioner of Police Mr. Aloysius Okorie and the state director of state Security Service SSS have made useful statements to the Police Service Commission and the Force Headquarters Abuja. They have equally confessed before some prominent citizens in Imo State.

ACT ONE SCENE ONE: Having seen that I citizen Ikenna Samuelson Iwuoha have the ability to pursue the matter to its conclusion, Ikedi Ohakim instructed Mrs. Victoria Isiguzo to do everything within her power to frustrate my case in her court. To show appreciation,  Ohakim personally promised to make her a substantive judge. To secure the full cooperation of Chief Magistrate Victoria Isiguzo, the government of Ikedi Ohakim appointed her husband Chief Chibututu Isiguzo as a Special Adviser and posted him to the Office of the Deputy Governor. It should be noted that prior to the appointment, Mrs. Victoria Isiguzo’s husband has been a member of the Transition Council of Ezinihitte Mbaise Local Government and later the coordinator and director of Ikedi Ohakim Political Machine called New Face Organization.

ACT ONE SCENE TWO: With the assurances from Ikedi Ohakim to promote her to a judge, Mrs. Victoria Isiguzo started her mercenary hatchet work to the embarrassment of the Imo State Judiciary. Firstly my matter in her court was adjourned till February, 19th 2010. On the day she refused to show up. The matter was thereafter adjourned till 15th March 2010. On that day she also refused to show up. The matter was once more adjourned to 27th April 2010. On that day she still refused to show up. As a proactive and hyperactive citizen, I issued a press release to that effect through my director of Media and Publicity on the 28th of April 2010. This press release was published in numerous newspapers and magazines. (See attached Press release). It should be noted that it was after the press release that Mrs. Victoria Isiguzo knew that I was keeping records of everything. So on the next adjourned date she briefly appeared to “show” face in her court and the matter was yet again adjourned to the 2nd of July 2010, only for her to appear to accuse me of “CONTEMPT”.

ACT TWO SCENE ONE: It should be noted that I Citizen Ikenna Samuelson Iwuoha sued Ikedi Ohakim for Human Right Abuse. The matter is now pending at the High Court 6 presided over by Justice Egeole, an honourable man. I also have another case with Ikedi Ohakim at the Magistrate Court 9 presided over by Chief Magistrate Barrister Ukadike, another distinguished Honourable man. Now, the High court 6 summoned Ikedi Ohakim to appear before it on charges of Human Right Abuse against Citizen Ikenna Samuelson Iwuoha. Sensing that he would be disgraced at the high court 6 on the 6th of July 2010, Ikedi Ohakim connived with Mrs. Victoria Isiguzo and Mr. C. N. Akobundu to accuse me of contempt on the 2nd of July 2010. An offence I never committed. This was an infantile strategy to stop me from coming to court on that 6th of July 2010.

ACT THREE SCENE ONE: Because of my determined effort to prove my criminal allegations against Ikedi Ohakim, I decided also to make use of the Court of Public Opinion. Nobody can bribe the Court of Public Opinion. Nobody can harass the Court of Public Opinion. To the glory of Almighty God I have truly and successfully proved that Ikedi Godson Ohakim is a chronic thief and criminal. This was made possible through my well published articles, write-ups, viewpoints, press releases and stories (all numbering 423 in newspapers, magazines, on-line news agencies and workshops held across the south Eastern part of Nigeria). Again because I successfully proved the Human Abuse on me  by Ikedi Ohakim in the court of public opinion, human Rights groups in Nigeria led by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Network on Police Reform in Nigeria (NOPRIN), National Committee against torture (NCAT) and the MAC-ARTHUR Foundation (USA) invited me to a public tribunal in Abuja on the 10th of June 2010 held at the Nigerian National Merit Award (MERIT HOUSE) No 22 Aguiyi-Ironsi street-Maitama Abuja to tell the story of how the Commissioner of Police (Aloysius Okorie), state director of SSS, the governors Chief Security Officer and Mr. Ikedi Godson Ohakim conspired to torture me at gunpoint in the Office of the governor. I appeared before the tribunal and spoke for over 2 hours 48 minutes. NTA and AIT Abuja aired it. That was when Ikedi Ohakim knew that his games were up. So he held an emergency executive council meeting where he announced that “Ikenna Samuelson must be “jailed” to enable him contest the 2011 elections.

THE CONSPIRACY THEORY: Ikedi Ohakim held series of meetings with the state executive council where it was agreed  that Ikenna Samuelson must be stopped from proving his Human Rights Abuse case against the governor currently at the High Court 6 presided over by Justice Egeole. When I received this intelligence report I quickly responded by doing an exclusive exposure on Ikedi Ohakims assault on me via a diary documentary entitled “Governor Ikedi Ohakim as Deji of Akure”. (See attached). This was published in so many newspapers and magazines including many online news agencies. It was also sent to over 65,000 email addresses. Infact NEWSPOINT newspapers, an Imo based tabloid published it as an advertorial on the 21st of June 2010. Appreciating the ingenuity of the advertorial contents, NEWSPOINT on their own did a story captioned “NJC asked to DISMISS Magistrate. This was the master stroke that exposed the involvement of Mrs. Victoria Isiguzo as Ikedi Ohakims  judicial hatchet woman.

On the 2nd of July 2010 I Citizen Ikenna Samuelson Iwuoha appeared before the magistrate court 1 to answer charges of “defamation” against the governor. But the Magistrate Mrs. Victoria Isiguzo just avoided the matter and in conspiracy with Mr. CN Akobundu (but manipulated) by Ikedi Ohakim stunned everybody in court that day. Mrs. Victoria Isiguzo just showed me a copy of Newspoint newspapers and asked three questions as follows (1) Did you grant any interview to this newspaper? I answered “No my Lord” (2) Did you call any press conference? I answered “No my Lord” (3) But your picture is in this story? I answered “my pictures are everywhere even  on the internet. Media Houses made use of my pictures whenever they are writing stories about me. At this point Mr. C. N. Akobundu told the court “My Lord, Samuelson is the owner of NEWSPOINT newspapers” Mrs. Victoria Isiguzo quickly responded, “is that so. This is contempt”. Thereafter she jailed me three months and rose from her sit and entered into her inner office. She spent roughly 23 minutes before coming inside the court again. It is obvious that she went into her inner office to make calls   to government house Owerri to inform Ohakim or the governors aides that the “Job has been done”. I say this because while I was still in her court waiting to be taken to prison, radio announcements  (ORIENT RADIO) announced that Samuelson has been jailed for contempt. Intelligence reports showed that Mr. Emma Ohakim (Chief of Staff) made calls to Police authorities to rush down to magistrate court 1 to pick Ikenna Samuelson and take him straight to Owerri prisons. I was taken to prison at around 2.00pm on that 2nd of July 2010. Before I got to prisons the prisons warders already knew that I was coming. It should be noted that there was radio and television announcement for four consecutive days. Ikedi Ohakim and his aides threw a wild party at government house. It should also be noted that intelligence report showed that Mrs. Victoria Isiguzo visited Government House in the evening of 2nd July 2010 in her private Toyota Corolla blue car. The celebration was cut short when I did an article entitled “Ikenna Samuelson writes from Prison” on the 6th of July 2010. I followed it up with another article entitled “Ikenna Samuelson writes from prison, Part two”. They were hand written articles which exposed the conspiracy of the Imo State government in the whole “Contempt Offence” (See attached). Because of this exposure, the Ohakim fraud infested government started mounting pressures to have me transferred to another prison but that plot failed. Again my visitors were banned from visiting me at the Prisons. In short a lot of roadblock pressures were mounted by the Ohakim government just to keep me uncomfortable.

FOOD POISONING: On Monday 5th July 2010, a man I have never seen before visited me and introduced himself as “Mr. Festus”. He told me he was my fan and just visited my wife at my Ikenegbu Layout extension residence. He gave me Bread and Viju Milk plus N500. The following day 6th July 2010 this same “Mr. Festus” came, this time with another man he introduced to me as “Mr. Henry”. They gave me another bread and viju milk. Of course I knew that they were agents of Ohakim’s government. The plot was to kill me through food poisoning and the whole world would then blame the prison authorities. But immediately my article was published in the internet and newspapers, Mr. Festus and Mr. Henry stopped visiting me. It is on record that Mrs. Victoria Isiguzo intentionally withheld the records book of my “conviction” in an attempt to hinder and prevent me from securing bail pending Appeal. She only released them when I exposed her in my “Ikenna Samuelson writes from Prison “article.

HIGH COURT 8: Nevertheless my lawyers led by Barrister LM Alozie succeeded in filing appeal and it was heard at High Court 8 presided over by Hon. Justice Nonyerem Okoronkwo. The first hearing came up on Friday 23rd July 2010. In his wisdom, Hon. Justice Nonyerem Okoronkwo adjourned till 28th July 2010. On this day my appeal was deliberated upon. Hon. Justice Nonyerem in his wisdom cautioned me and asked my lawyer Barrister LM Alozie to withdraw the appeal. Thereafter my conviction was squashed and I became a free man again. It means I spent 27 days in prison custody illegally. In as much as I appreciate the wisdom of the Imo State Judiciary, it is pertinent for me to insist that Mrs. Victoria Isiguzo must be investigated. It is very obvious that Mrs. Victoria Isiguzo  has undermined democracy by recklessly deploying her judicial powers to suppress democratic rights and fundamental freedoms in Imo State. Chief Magistrate Victoria Isiguzo has smeared the image of the judiciary. Therefore with judicial officers like Mrs. Victoria Isiguzo, the judicial honour and reputation stand the risk of being completely eroded unless she and her ilks  are shown the way out of the bench. It is therefore very easy for everyone to see that the decision to jail Citizen Ikenna Samuelson couldn’t stand the test of judicial scrutiny hence it collapsed like pack of badly arranged cards. It was a decision taken under the heat of passion. Newspoint newspapers were never invited by the court to state their own account. It is  therefore very ridiculous for Mrs. Victoria Isiguzo to see herself as a judge who sits in judgment over a “contempt”. She is the complainant, the prosecutor and the judge rolled into one without giving a citizen the opportunity of fair hearing. It is therefore very dangerous to allow her to continue to preside over cases in the magistrate court 1. It is this poor grasp of elementary judicial arithmetic that impelled her to desecrate the magistrate court 1 without following due process. No wonder High Court 8 has quashed the conviction of Citizen Ikenna Samuelson Iwuoha who is now regarded as the CONSCIENCE OF IMO STATE.

I cannot conclude this exposure without letting the world know that I am presently discussing and hobnobbing with my lawyers with the view to seek redress in court and of course to see that my pending case in the magistrate court I is transferred to another court. The battle to cleanse the Augean stable in Imo state has started.

 

I rest my pen.

 

BY:

Citizen Ikenna Samuelson Iwuoha

Facilitator – SLAP Initiative.

Plot 98 Ikenegbu Layout Extension

Owerri – Imo State, Nigeria.

 

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('comments'); });