By Our Reporter
Two convicted drug traffickers, Chibunna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwanne, arrested in January 2022 in connection with 21.25kg of cocaine have been released from prison.
Justice Emeka Nwite, of the Federal High Court, had convicted the two defendants and sentenced them to two years imprisonment each on three counts, holding that the jail terms should run concurrently starting from the day the NDLEA arrested the defendants.
However, on Friday, the two convicts were seen leaving the court after the completion of their terms in prison in photographs shared by an eyewitness.
They were arrested by the Intelligent Response Team (IRT) of the Inspector General of Police, led by DCP Abba Kyari.
During the investigation, Kyari and four members of his IRT were indicted and are facing trial for allegedly tampering with the seized drugs.
Confirming their release on Friday morning, Abdullahi Yahaya, who is a Prison Record Officer at the Suleja Correctional Service where both men served said that “they were among the people released today. “We released five people and both Umeibe and Ezenwanne were among them.
“Their release was because of the ruling of the judge. They were sentenced to two years and the judge said it must run concurrently, that’s why they were released.”
Meanwhile, their release has been frowned upon by a group called the Center for Democracy and Human Rights (CEDEHUR).
The Executive Director, Adekunle Thomas, in a statement issued, “We want to draw the attention of the public to the desecration of the judicial power, abuse of office and deliberate manipulation of the public that there’s a war against drug trafficking.
“Just today, we learned of the release of two convicted drug traffickers arrested by Police IRT and transferred to NDLEA namely Chibunna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwanne, who through an intentioned plea bargain, were sentenced to six years in prison, 2yrs for each of the 3 counts.
“Both Umeibe and Ezenwanne were arrested by the end of the Inspector General of Police called Intelligence Response Team (IRT) in connection to 21.25kg of cocaine in January 2022.
“They had brought in the cocaine from Brazil through Ethiopia to Nigeria, through the Enugu Airport.”
He explained that the police acting on intelligence arrested them and handed them over to the NDLEA for prosecution.
CEDEHUR further noted that despite voluntary confessions of their activities and their sponsors, the agency has not arrested the sponsors of the drug traffickers, instead are prosecuting police officers that arrested them.
It stressed that while the case is in court and the details on the involvement or otherwise of the police officers would be left for the court to decide, “This is no longer a quest for justice but a clear case of dancing the beating of the drum being drummed by someone behind the scene, which amounts to vendetta.
“The affected police officers have been in prison without bail for more than 15 months now on bailable allegations as the law provided. What are the issues?
“Deliberate use of judicial power to deny them bail despite repeated assurances that these are known men home and abroad that would not flee especially with their international passports will have the court.
“Again, the Application of the Criminal Justice Act calls for specific application of procedures in determining any case alleged to be criminal in nature.
“Section 396 (3) provides that upon arraignment of a defendant, the trial shall proceed from day to day until the conclusion of the trial.
“According to Subsection (4) of that section, says “Where the day-to-day trial is impracticable after arraignment, no party shall be entitled to more than five adjournments from arraignment to final judgment provided that the interval between each adjournment shall not exceed 14 working days.”
“Subsection (5) says “Where it is impracticable to conclude a criminal proceeding after the parties have exhausted their five adjournments each, the interval between one adjournment to another shall not exceed seven days inclusive of weekends”
“It leaves one to wonder why the judge has allowed a long period of adjournment several, sometimes more than two months in a total of more than five adjournments already.
“It really begs the question as to what the target of the prosecution is.
“The Center for Democracy and Human Rights, CEDEHUR, views this as not only an assault on the sensibilities of Nigerians but on the sanctity of the court as well as deliberate manipulation to hide the key actors behind these convicted felons who were caught by the Police IRT red-handed trafficking drugs into the country.
“If the ACJA provides for accelerated hearing and its guidelines, why have there been many long adjournments in such a manner that is far behind the recommended time frame?
“CEDEHUR makes bold to say that there’s more to this judicial process.
“Why has the sponsor of these drug traffickers not been arrested?
“Nigerians must ask the questions because testimonies from these felons include name, contact address, phone number, dates and manner of operations in which they undertake drug trafficking for this highly placed person, who was never arrested or declared wanted,” the group noted.
The group called on the NDLEA to do the needful and arrest the face behind these two drug traffickers among others.
