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April 12, 2024
Chioma Okoli is being prosecuted by the Nigeria Police Force and Erisco Foods Limited over a review of one of the company’s products that she did on Facebook.
Inibehe Effiong, a human rights lawyer and counsel for Chioma Okoli, has written to the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to ignore the request made by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Monitoring Unit’s to place Okoli on watchlist over her case with Erisco Foods Limited.
Inibehe in the letter dated April 8, 2024 and addressed to the Comptroller General of Immigration, said that the request by the IGP Monitoring Unit is unconstitutional, illegal, malicious and a blatant disregard for judicial process.
SaharaReporters had exclusively reported that the IGP Monitoring Unit wrote to the Comptroller General of the NIS, asking her to place Mrs. Okoli Chioma Egodi on the watchlist.
Chioma Okoli is being prosecuted by the Nigeria Police Force and Erisco Foods Limited over a review of one of the company’s products that she did on Facebook.
SaharaReporters in January reported that policemen on the alleged orders of Egbetokun invaded Okoli’s residence in Lagos State in an attempt to arrest her.
The newspaper had reported that the police team from Abuja who claimed to be acting on the orders of the Inspector General of Police moved to re-arrest Okoli without serving any court order authorising them to do so.
Meanwhile, despite an outcry from well-meaning Nigerians, civil society organisations including the global human rights body, Amnesty International, demanding an immediate end to the harassment and intimidation of Mrs Okoli, the police, in a letter to the Immigration Controller General, Kemi Nandap, requested that she should be placed on watchlist and denied exit out of the country.
The letter was exclusively obtained from a source in the IGP Monitoring Unit.
Inibehe in his letter said the IGP Monitoring Unit's request is underpinned by blatant falsehood and illegality.
He said, “Given the gravity of this report by Sahara Reporters which we have independently verified and found to be accurate, we are compelled to write to you to draw your attention to the blatant falsehood and the illegality that underpins the request made by the Inspector General of Police to your office.
“We hereby respectfully request and urge you to completely disregard and deny the malicious request for watch listing of our client for the following reasons:
“The request by the IGP Monitoring Unit is not only unconstitutional, but amounts to a flagrant disregard of the judicial process.
“Section 41 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) guarantees every citizen of Nigeria the right to freedom of movement. The Section further guarantees that no person shall be denied exit from Nigeria.
“By virtue of Section 31 of the Immigration Act, 2015, a person can only be prohibited from departing from Nigeria by the Nigeria Immigration Service if there is a directive by the Minister of Interior, or if there is a penalty imposed on the person by a Court which has not been satisfied, or if there is a warrant of arrest issued by a Court of competent jurisdiction.
“In the instant case, our client is not serving any penalty, term or sentence imposed on her by any court and no warrant of arrest has been issued against her by a court of competent jurisdiction. Also, the request for watch listing did not emanate from the Honourable Minister of Interior.”
The letter further read, “As reported by Sahara Reporters, the IGP Monitoring Unit is claiming that they want our client to be placed on Watch List because they are investigating her for sundry offences.
“This is falsehood because the Nigeria Police Force had long concluded investigation into their unproven allegations and charged our client before the Federal High Court in Abuja in Charge No: FHC/ABJ/CR470/2023 filed on 5th October, 2023.
“The fact that the purported investigation had long been concluded and a charge already filed in court contrary to the false claim by the IGP Monitoring Unit evinces that the request is made in bad faith, precipitated by ill-motive and is in furtherance of an agenda which is unlawful, pernicious, sinister and malicious.
“In the pending charge before His Lordship, Honourable P. O Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja Judicial Division, His Lordship has not made an order restricting the movement of our Client and no warrant of arrest has been issued against her by the Federal High Court.
“Indeed, the case will be coming up again on Thursday, the 18th day of April, 2024. Our Client is neither a fugitive nor a terrorist. She is very ready and willing to face trial and confront the police in Court regarding the unproven charges and allegations levelled against her.
“This request for watchlisting of our Client made by the IGP Monitoring Unit is blatantly illegal and amounts to a usurpation of the authority of the Honourable Court and vengeful contravention of the fundamental right of our Client to freedom of movement.
“Also, the request is in contempt of the Court. It is important to draw your attention to the subsisting order of the Federal High Court, Lagos Judicial Division, made on the 8ht day of November , 2023 where the Court, Per Hon. Justice Y. BOGORO, restrained the Inspector General of Police, the Nigeria Police Force and the IGP Monitoring Unit led by ACP A. A. Elleman and other Respondents in the suit from arresting, re-arresting or detaining our Client except on the express order of the Federal High Court if she fails to attend her trial.
“Since the Federal High Court has restrained the Inspector General of Police, the Nigeria Police Force and the IGP Monitoring Unit led by ACP A. A. Elleman from arresting or detaining our client, it smacks of gross impunity and lawlessness for the same Inspector General of Police through the IGP Monitoring Unit to request for the arrest of our client without a valid court order authorizing same.
“It is important for the Immigration Service under your leadership not to be drawn into this insipid pool of lawlessness of the Police.
“We implore you not to allow your good offices and the Immigration Service not to be used by lawless elements in our country who have no regards for the sanctity of the judicial process and the laws of our country to victimize a citizen of Nigeria.
“Since the matter is before a Court of competent jurisdiction, and the Court has not made any order directing the Immigration Service to restrict our Client's movement, it will amount to a desecration of the judicial process and abuse of power to place our Client under Watch List.
“This case offers a good opportunity for you to demonstrate to Nigerians that the Nigeria Immigration Service under your leadership believes in and will abide by the Rule of Law. We strongly implore you to deny the request for Watch Listing of our Client.
“Please take notice that we are determined to seek redress in Court if we do not get confirmation that the illegal request has been refused.”
When contacted for comments on why the police asked the immigration service to place Okoli on watchlist, the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi did not answer calls made to his phone number nor reply to a message sent to him.
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