In Nigeria, power is not governed by the Constitution; it merely glances at it, scoffs, and proceeds to do as it likes. Once a man enters office, he immediately discovers an unwritten amendment to the 1999 Constitution:
“Notwithstanding anything contained herein, those in power may do and undo, bind and detain, and heaven help anyone who asks questions.”
This amendment, though never passed by the National Assembly, is faithfully enforced across the Federation.
Public office holders look down on ordinary Nigerians the way magistrates look at accused persons charged on a Friday afternoon—with remand already typed. Institutions of justice, created under Section 6 of the Constitution, have been downgraded from guardians of liberty to dispatch riders for executive vendettas.
In today’s Nigeria, you do not need to commit an offence to be imprisoned. You only need to be inconvenient. The case of Chinedu Agu Esq. remains a standing reminder that the fastest route to a cell is not criminality but courage.
Police Stations: Museums of Unconstitutional Behaviour
A visit to most police stations and detention centres in Nigeria is an educational experience—particularly for those who still believe in Section 35(1) of the Constitution, which guarantees personal liberty.
At the counter, Section 35 is treated like expired SIM registration—interesting, but no longer valid. Inside the cells, liberty is optional, bail is mythical, and human dignity under Section 34 has been officially suspended for “investigative purposes.”
Security agents often display power in its purest, naked form—without warrants, restraint, or shame. The sanctity of human life is respected only during press briefings.
Politicians, however, are worse. Security agencies abuse power as a hobby; politicians do it as a full-time job with pensions attached.
The Enugu Judiciary: Independence Under Protective Custody
Enter the case of Bright Ngene Esq., a lawyer convicted by a magistrate court for what may generously be described as creative law. His appeal cannot be heard in Enugu State.
Why? Because:
- The judiciary may be afraid to hear it; or
- The judiciary may have been told not to hear it; or
- Everyone is suddenly allergic to case files bearing his name.
Whichever explanation applies, judicial independence in Enugu is currently on life support, despite Section 6 vesting judicial powers squarely in the courts—not in Government House.
Judges have perfected the fine art of case file returning. Others recuse themselves repeatedly, as though the appeal is haunted. Even the Chief Judge appears unable to hear the matter. One is tempted to ask: Is Bright Ngene’s file cursed, or merely politically inconvenient?
Right of Appeal: Now Streaming, But Not Available in Your Region
The right of appeal is not a gift from the benevolent State; it is a constitutional guarantee. Yet in Enugu, this right appears to be under embargo.
Section 36(1) promises fair hearing within a reasonable time. Apparently, “reasonable time” in Enugu is defined as whenever the executive feels comfortable.
Justice delayed in Nigeria has graduated from being justice denied to being justice ridiculed. Nigerians now live at the mercy of institutions constitutionally mandated to protect them but practically deployed to punish them.
The irony is tragic: those who should be in jail are outsourcing imprisonment to innocent citizens.
NBA Press Releases: Thoughts and Prayers for the Rule of Law
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has mastered the art of reacting to constitutional collapse with eloquent press releases. Unfortunately, tyranny does not read communiqués.
As I said earlier today:
“The Bright Ngene issue cannot be solved by grammar. The judiciary in Enugu—and Nigeria—has lost its independence. Extraordinary times demand extraordinary lawful measures.”
If lawyers in other Commonwealth jurisdictions can down tools and protest peacefully to defend judicial independence, why do Nigerian lawyers behave as though protest is a capital offence punishable by remand?
Let Nigerian lawyers withdraw services nationwide for one week. Let us occupy court premises peacefully. Let us march—lawfully—to the offices of the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Chief Justice of Nigeria and ask a basic constitutional question:
Is the judiciary still allowed to work?
Federal High Court: Thinking Outside the Detention Cell
If the Enugu State Judiciary cannot hear Bright Ngene’s appeal, is it not time to approach the Federal High Court to enforce his fundamental rights under Sections 34, 35, and 36?
Is it not arguable that Enugu State, acting in concert with its judiciary, is denying a citizen access to justice? Or is that too imaginative for a system where imagination is punished?
Conclusion: Power Is Temporary, Karma Is Not
Nigeria increasingly resembles a country where hell has been decentralised. The rule of law is not dead—it is merely in abeyance, awaiting executive clearance.
Those who abuse power today sleep peacefully, cloaked in public piety and private wickedness. But history has a habit of serving cold subpoenas.
Those who locked people up yesterday are now learning that tables turn, files resurface, and karma does not require leave of court.
If not now, then later.
If not by law, then by time.
No unjust punishment goes permanently unpunished.
Just watch.
Centre for Nigeria Progress 
Such bad news…
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