Rivers Crisis: Lawyers Warn Against Framing Up Ugochinyere

A group of lawyers under the umbrella body of Lawyers in Defense of Democracy has said they will resist any attempt to frame up a member of the House of Representatives, Honourable Ikenga Ugochinyere, with trump-up charges to silence his public resistance to undermining the government of Rivers State, the management of the affairs of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Barrister Maxwell Opara, who spoke on behalf of the lawyers, told the media in Abuja that there is a desperate attempt to frame up Ugochinyere for gun running, murder, rape and kidnapping in a desperate attempt to curtail and silence his public condemnation of anti-democratic practices in the country.

According to Opara, “We have intercepted credible evidence of moves and attempts by some desperate yet, highly placed Nigerian politicians to silence Hon Ikenga because of his advocacy for good governance and respect for the rule of law and constitutionalism in Nigeria, especially as it relates to the recent happenings in Rivers State and the need to save the PDP from lingering crises”.

The group said Ugochinyere is a law-abiding citizen and spokesperson of Nigeria’s opposition lawmakers, a defender of democracy, an advocate of good governance, and a member of the House of Representatives representing Ideato North and South Federal Constituency of Imo State.

According to Opara, the lawmaker has previously been subjected to all manner of political blackmail for choosing to stand for equity and justice. He believes that Ugochinyere is innocent and that any evidence against him is fabricated.

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He said, “This is not the first time Ugochinyere has been framed for similar allegations regarding the same issue for speaking the truth to the government and standing up for justice, equity and good governance while resisting ineptitude, abuse of power and bad governance.”

Opara said it was part of the machinations that led to several failed attacks, assassination attempts and bombing of Ugochinyere’s house in his home town in Imo State, leading to the untimely death of his uncle and three other persons.

However, he said, “This plot has taken a dangerous turn as our intelligence is that, his traducers have procured the services of a woman who will falsely claim that Ugochinyere raped her.
“They are also in the final negotiation stages with some rascals and petty thieves who have been promised adequate compensation to come and admit that guns which will be supposedly recovered from them were handed over to them by Hon Ugochinyere.

“They are still frantically searching for the remains of any dead person they would use to claim that the gang murdered at the behest of Hon Ugochinyere. All these heinous plots are to stop his public intervention on the political happenings in Rivers State”, he added.

The lawyers called on the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), civil society organisations, human rights groups, and well-meaning Nigerians to stand against abomination and intimidation in solidarity with Ugochinyere and demand the protection of his rights.

The group called on the Police to investigate the allegations thoroughly, uncover the truth behind the plot to frame the lawmaker and hold perpetrators, their sponsors, privies and cronies accountable for their actions.