Our Reporter, Abuja
There was outrage on Thursday as Justice Chituru Wigwe-Oreh of the Federal High Court sitting in Owerri, Imo State, denied an uncontested bail application filed on behalf of a former Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Owerri Branch, Mr. Chinedu Agu.
Agu, a legal practitioner and human rights advocate, has been in detention since September 23, 2025, for alleged cyberstalking and defamation of Imo Governor Hope Uzodinma via social media posts.
His lawyers had filed a formal application seeking his release on bail, which was reportedly not opposed by the prosecution.
However, in a surprising ruling delivered Thursday morning, Justice Wigwe-Oreh refused the application, claiming that there was “no charge before the court.”
The decision has sparked outrage among legal practitioners, rights activists, and members of the NBA, who described the ruling as “an embarrassment to the legal profession” and “a travesty of justice.”
Speaking shortly after the ruling, one of Agu’s counsel expressed disbelief, wondering how a court could deny bail in the absence of a charge.
“It’s shocking. The judge herself admitted that there is no charge before her, yet she refused to release a man who has been unlawfully detained for over three weeks,” the lawyer said.
Many lawyers and observers have taken to social media to express anger and disappointment, questioning the judge’s understanding of fundamental legal principles and the constitutional right to personal liberty.
Taking to his official X handle, legal scholar and former chairman of National Human Rights Commission, Professor Chidi Odinkalu, on the basis of the ruling had questioned the credentials of Justice Chituru Wigwe-Oreh.
“#Breaking: Chituru Wigwe-Oreh, a judge of @FederalHigh sitting in Owerri, Imo State, this morning denied the uncontested application for bail for @ChineduAgu87 – detained since 23 Sept 2025 – claiming that there is no charge before her. I’m still wondering how she became a lawyer,” Odinkalu posted.
Another X user, @itumomartins wrote: “The absence of a charge should not disentitle the Court from considering a bail application. A bail application draws its strength from the actual detention of the applicant, whether on a charge, a holding charge or no charge at all (like in a FHR suit).”
Harry Odinza questioned the legal grounds on which the judge refused a bail not contested by anyone unless the judge herself is the one contesting the application.
“On what grounds do you deny an application that is not contested by any party? Or is the judge contesting the application herself?The malignant cancer in the judiciary is getting too odious even for an extremely docile society where there are no consequences!”
Mr. Agu’s continued detention without charge, and the court’s refusal to grant him bail, have reignited debates about the state of judicial independence and human rights protection in Nigeria.
