An Enugu East Magistrate’s Court has remanded 45-year-old Chidi Ani in prison for allegedly accusing three individuals of carrying out an attack on members of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Obuoffia Awkunanaw, Enugu State. The attack occurred on September 12, when hoodlums disrupted meetings of the NDC and the Peoples Democratic Party in Ndiuno-Obuoffia and Agbani Communities within Nkanu West Local Government Area.
Mr Ani, who reportedly recorded the attack on the NDC members, was arraigned before a magistrate by the police in Enugu State on Monday on three counts of cybercrime and criminal defamation. The charge sheet filed against him showed that he was not being prosecuted for filming and posting the reported attack on the NDC members, but for publishing a video footage of the attack on social media and falsely accusing three individuals of carrying out the attack.
The three individuals he allegedly accused were Nnabuike Ani, Solomon Ifeanyi, and Monday Anninwe. According to the charge sheet, Mr Ani published a false statement against Ani Nnabuike on social media platforms, including Ite-Odo Obuoffia Community Whatsapp Group, Tik-Tok, Instagram, Facebook, and Sahara Reporters, stating that he was a member of the armed group that attacked NDC members and threatened to kill him and his family members.
Mr Ani pleaded not guilty to the charges, and the Chief Magistrate, F. E. Chukwu, ordered that he be remanded in the prison facility pending further court proceedings. The NDC governorship candidate in Enugu State, Chinyeaka Ohaa, reacted to the development, condemning Mr Ani’s arraignment and remand in prison, describing it as a “disturbing case of justice turned upside down.”
Mr Ohaa stressed that Mr Ani was an NDC member who filmed the violent attack on party members, and that it was disturbing that he was being prosecuted for cybercrime and criminal defamation while the suspected attackers and their alleged sponsors remained free. He questioned the silence of Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State, saying he ought to speak on the matter, especially as the attack happened in Nkanu Area, where the governor hails from.
The governor's silence was particularly notable given that eight people sustained gunshot injuries during the attack on the NDC members. Mr Ohaa argued that those who carried out the attacks on the NDC members should be tracked down and prosecuted, not those who filmed it, saying that when those who shoot innocent citizens are protected and the person who films the crime is punished, it is a “dangerous territory.”
Mr Ohaa demanded the immediate release of Mr Ani and called for the “diligent prosecution” of all those involved in the attack on the NDC members. The case has sparked concerns about the protection of citizens' rights to document and expose violence in Nigeria.
Key points
- The court remanded Chidi Ani for allegedly accusing three individuals of carrying out an attack on NDC members.
- The NDC governorship candidate, Chinyeaka Ohaa, condemned the arraignment and called for Mr Ani's immediate release.
- The case has raised concerns about the protection of citizens' rights to document and expose violence in Nigeria.
