Falana wants Enugu First Lady released from confinement

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Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana has written to the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. MD Abubakar, to swing into action, by mobilizing his men to Enugu to ensure the immediate release of Mrs. Clara Chime, the First Lady of Enugu State who is being held hostage at the Enugu state government house by Governor Sullivan Chime.

Felana in a letter written on November 1, 2013, on behalf of Mrs. Chime, said that his client has been kept in solitary confinement for more than four months as directed by governor Chime, hence immediate police action was needed.

“Thus our client’s fundamental rights to the dignity of her person, personal liberty, fair hearing, private and family life and freedom of movement guaranteed by the Constitution and the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 have been violated without any legal justification,” it said.

“Although our client’s dehumanizing detention conditions have had deleterious effects on her psychological state as well as her mental and physical health, she has been denied access to her doctors by her abductors,” the petition further reads.

“It is particularly disturbing to note that some of the police and state security service personnel assigned to secure the safety of the 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.”

The letter pointed out that even if Chime is immuned as a governor, security men who have been used to continuously keep the woman under house arrest must be questioned.

Mrs Chime had earlier petitioned the Human Rights Commission over her house detention. The story of her letter that emanated from an online newspaper, Sahara Reporters went viral on the social-sphere.

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