Falana Decries Unlawful Detention Of Governor’s Wife

Human rights activist and legal practitioner, Femi Falana, has demanded the release of Mrs. Clara Chime, who he alleged to have been unlawfully detained in the Enugu State Governor’s lodge.

The victim is the wife of the Enugu State Governor, Sullivan Chime.

Falana, who made this appeal in a letter sent to the Inspector-General of Police and made available to P.M.NEWS, explained that Mrs. Chime had been kept “incommunicado in solitary confinement in one of the rooms in the Government House, Enugu for four months on the directive of the state Governor, Sullivan Chime”.

He also stated that “the unlawful detention violates our client’s fundamental rights to the dignity of human person, personal liberty, fair hearing, private and family life and freedom of movement which is guaranteed by the Nigerian Constitution and the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, without any legal justification”.

According to Falana, “our client’s dehumanizing detention conditions have had deleterious effect on her psychological state as well as her mental and physical health yet she has been denied access to her doctors by her abductors.

“It is particularly disturbing to note that some of the police and state security service personnel assigned to secure the safety of Enugu State Governor, his wife and other family members have aided and abetted Mr. Chime in subjecting our client to egregious infringements of her aforesaid fundamental rights.”

He, therefore, urged the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, to ensure that the woman is freed without further delay, failure of which will result in a Federal High Court injunction against Governor Chime and his armed aides.