Our Reporter, Abuja
The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) has petitioned the Imo State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, seeking an urgent review and discontinuance of the prosecution of a trainee nurse, Ms. Chukwuyere Princess Mmesoma, over allegations of rights violations, evidence fabrication, and malicious prosecution by police officers.
In a formal petition dated January 26, 2026, RULAAC called on the Ministry of Justice to intervene in what it described as “a grave abuse of police powers,” urging the state government to ensure the immediate release of Ms. Mmesoma.
According to the civil society organisation, Ms. Mmesoma, a young nurse from a “modest and vulnerable family background,” was arrested on July 16, 2025, in Orlu and allegedly detained without a warrant or access to legal counsel.
RULAAC alleged that while in custody, the victim was subjected to serious human rights violations, including physical torture, degrading treatment, and coercion to extract statements under duress.
“These abuses were deliberately used to break her will and force her to make statements and admissions under duress,” the organisation stated, adding that “any such statements are constitutionally invalid, legally inadmissible, and morally reprehensible.”
The group further claimed that the evidence linking Ms. Mmesoma to a robbery reportedly committed on June 22, 2025, was fabricated. It alleged that forensic reviews showed that a voice recording attributed to her “was conclusively not her voice,” and that phone records did not establish any genuine link to the alleged suspects.
“Contacts and messages purportedly implicating her were created while she was already in police custody, strongly suggesting deliberate evidence planting and phone manipulation,” RULAAC said.
The petition also accused investigators of acting in defiance of directives from the Imo State Commissioner of Police, who had reportedly ordered a thorough review of the case and forensic examination of her phone.
“Rather than comply with this directive, the Investigating Officer surreptitiously arraigned her before a court, resulting in her remand at the Owerri Correctional Centre,” the organisation stated, describing the move as “retaliatory and malicious prosecution.”
RULAAC warned that Ms. Mmesoma’s continued detention has had severe psychological and social consequences, noting that she suffers trauma-related symptoms while her family remains “poor, powerless, and overwhelmed.”
“The continuation of this prosecution lacks credible evidentiary foundation, is tainted by torture and fabrication of evidence, and violates the Constitution, the Anti-Torture Act, and Nigeria’s international human rights obligations,” the group asserted.
In its appeal to the Attorney-General, RULAAC urged the Ministry of Justice to “review the complete case file,” “discontinue the prosecution for want of evidence,” and “facilitate the immediate release” of Ms. Mmesoma.
“The Ministry of Justice remains the last line of protection for the vulnerable and voiceless within the criminal justice system,” said RULAAC Executive Director, Okechukwu Nwanguma.
“We are confident that a principled review will reveal that this prosecution cannot stand the test of law, evidence, or conscience.”
RULAAC said it is prepared to provide additional materials, including medical reports, witness statements, and the victim’s personal account, to support its petition
