Aghogho, who was being detained on trumped-up charges of “cyberstalking, giving false information to the police, and defamation of character' was taken to another Medium and Security Custodial Prison located in the Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State.
The Controller of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Delta State Command, Mr. Ovie Friday Esezobor, on Monday, September 26, transferred human rights activist, Ighorhiohwunu Aghogho, unlawfully detained at the Federal Custodial Centre, Ogwashi-Uku in Delta State to another facility.
Aghogho, who was being detained on trumped-up charges of “cyberstalking, giving false information to the police, and defamation of character' was taken to another Medium and Security Custodial Prison located in the Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State.
The transfer document sighted by SaharaReporters stated that the reason for the transfer was because the Federal High Court in Warri was the venue for the commencement of the trial of the activist.
The charges had been filed similar to what was filed by the Delta State Commissioner of Police at the Magistrate Court 1 Asaba, on June 8, 2022, which emboldened the Chief Magistrate, Mrs P. U. Nsolo, to issue a remand order confining Aghogho unlawfully to the Federal Custodial Centre Ogwashi-Uku with an ex parte application.
Justice Okon Abang has boldly refused every attempt by the Delta State Government to take over the case and has truncated efforts of the court to hear the case when the bail application filed by counsel for Aghogho came up for hearing.
After the arguments were taken, the court raised issues as to whether it had jurisdiction to take the application given that the remand order was made by a magistrate court.
The lawyers addressed the court and the ruling was adjourned to October 12, 2022.
Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court Warri in July 2022 sent a production warrant to the Deputy Controller of Correction, Mr. Sunday Oyakhire, in charge of the Federal Custodial Centre Ogwashi-Uku to produce Aghogho in court on October 12, 2022, for trial.
This was after the Nigeria Police Force parading itself with the name and style of “Federal Government of Nigeria” filed fresh charges in a desperate move to counter the bail application fixed for ruling on October 12, 2022, by Justice Okon Abang.
The trial is expected to deal with the allegation of child trafficking levelled against the office of the Delta State Commissioner of Police, the conduct and actions of CP Ali Mohammed Ari in allegedly indulging in child trafficking in Delta State, along with several other police officers serving in Delta State, the office of the Chief Judge of Delta State, a retired Chief Judge, Justice Marshal Umukoro who is accused of falsifying several National Judicial Council reports. Between 2018 and 2019), a letter concocted a falsified NJC's report, an action that violates section 153 of the 1999 constitution(as amended), all in a bid to conceal the missing 50 family courts (children's court) constituted in the Delta State Judiciary in 2013 with records of thousands of children allegedly stolen through the Delta State Judiciary.
This was while he was the Chief Judge of Delta State and to shield himself and other suspected child traffickers who are predominantly staff members of the Delta State Judiciary from prosecution as alleged by Com. Aghogho.
The Director of the National Population Commission (NPC), Asaba, Mr. Aki Emmanuel Z. has affirmed via a letter dated 16/2/2022 referenced DT/A154/51O that the Delta State Child Adoption Register, a register created by law containing the names of all legally adopted children by the Delta State Judiciary from 1991 through 2021 as requested by the Nigeria Police Force is not within the jurisdiction of the NPC's office and therefore the NPC does not have such records and cannot be within its purvey. Even when Section 149 of the Child's Rights Act 2003 and the provisions of the Birth, Death (Compulsory) Registration Act 1991(as amended) mandated the Registrar of the National Population Commission to be the custodian of the Delta State Adopted Children Register.
Aghogho has openly in several press statements, accused the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Delta State Police Command, DSP. Bright Edafe of indicting his Commissioner of Police when he via a press statement dated 11/5/2022 also misdirected himself and in a show of shame during a press briefing at Asaba upheld and promoted child trafficking as part of the functions of the Nigeria Police Force when he affirmed that the Delta State Police Command had been transferring exploited children to the Delta State Ministry of Women Affairs for adoption without any legal authority to back up his claim from the Child's Rights Act 2003.
SaharaReporters on August 25 reported that Aghogho petitioned the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami over an alleged child trafficking investigation involving Delta State Government officials, police officers, and a retired chief judge among others.
In a petition signed by Aghogho and obtained by SaharaReporters, the activist had alleged that the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), State Security Service (SSS), Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), and National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficked-In Person (NAPTIP) had the facts of the case but kept mute by “promoting injustice against children in Delta State.”
He added that the Delta State Commissioner for Justice and Director of Public Prosecution had similar facts but decided to shield the culprits and prosecute him on trumped-up charges instead.
Aghogho had insisted that the “Children Adoption Law” in Delta State requiring a person planning to adopt children to apply to the children’s court (known as Family Court) for the adoption of children in the state had been grossly violated.
He alleged that suspected child traffickers and adoption racketeers are the ones now applying to Family Court and the Delta State Ministry of Women Affairs, Community and Social Development Asaba for the adoption of children in the state.
The petition was copied to Femi Falana (SAN), Citizens Gavel Foundation For Social Justice, Omoyele Sowore and the National Coordinator, Take It Back (TIB) Movement, Nigeria.