…Journalists: It’s new ploy to intimidate the Media,free speech in the state.
As is now prevalent in Imo state ,using the police and sundry security operatives to harass, intimidate and suppress free speech , the state Commissioner for Commerce and Investment, Barr Rex Anunobi who, incidentally is a Lawyer, has written a petition to the Imo State Police Command against the Publisher of Newspoint Newspapers, Elder Lambert Ojukwu over a recent report published in the newspaper.
A police invitation dated September 29, 2025 and signed by DCP T.A. Dashuwar, Deputy Commissioner of Police, State Criminal Investigation Department (SCIB) Owerri, with the captioned “RE-CASE OF CONSPIRACY/CRIMINAL DEFAMATION AND CONDUCT LIKELY TO CAUSE BREACH OF PEACE” reads thus, “This office is investigating the above mentioned case reported against you by Chief Bar Rex Anunobi ,Hon. Commissioner for Trade Commerce and Investment.
“You are requested to Interview the Deputy Commissioner of Police, State Criminal Investigation Department Owerri, through the Officer in-Charge of Anti-Fraud Section (D3), State Criminal Investigation Department Owerri, Imo State Police Command. This invitation is fact finding and provided for in Section 53 (2) (a) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015. Date: Friday 3rd October, 2025, Time: 10:00 AM
“While looking forward to your usual co-operation in this regard, do accept the assurances of my esteemed regard, please”.
It will be recalled that Barr Chinedu Agu, an Owerri based Lawyer and Human Rights activist who was detained recently for calling out the Governor of Imo State over the naming of Douglas Road after himself was arraigned recently, and remanded in prison custody before he was granted bail a few hours later.
Barr Agu, whose proposed arraignment on Wednesday was hindered because the court didn’t sit, was detained on Tuesday when he responded to a police invitation for the second time within seventy two hours.
He was arraigned before Chief Magistrate Obinna Njemanze, on Thursday.
The Magistrate declined a bail application moved by Agu’s lead counsel, M.O Nlemadim, a former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice of the State.
The Magistrate who declined jurisdiction to try the matter, ordered that Agu be remanded in the Owerri Correctional Center pending the next step to be taken in the matter.
Agu, a former General Secretary of Nigeria Bar Association, Owerri branch, was arraigned by the police on charges of alleged cyber stalking, defamation of character and conduct likely to cause a breach of public peace.
The police, however, relied on some of the views he published about governance, public interest and the judicial system in the state to unleash the charges on him. He pleaded not guilty to all the charges leveled against him while also alleging that the charges were entirely false.
Meanwhile, while Barr Agu was being arraigned at the Magistrate Court, some senior Lawyers led by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Stanley Imo were at the Federal High Court Owerri, to file an application for his bail on grounds of a matter of urgency.
The application for bail was granted by the court.
In the latest case as it relates to the publisher of Nigeria Newspoint , OJukwu,the story published is in respect of the issue of a court judgement delivered by the new Chief Judge,Justice Ijeoma Agugua on the Egbeada Market, recently.
Imo Journalists,a constituent of OJukwu has described this approach by officers in government as a ploy being engaged to gag the Media and attack free speech which is against the Nigerian Constitution.
