 |
| Joseph Odok, an active lawyer and
member of NBA, Calabar Branch |
In a statement issued by Ayo Ademiluyi, the Secretary of Radical Agenda Movement in the Nigerian Bar Association (RAMINBA) and Director of Media, Publicity, Strategy and Communications of #RadicalBar2020,
Mr. Joseph
Odok , a member of Calabar Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association risks a death sentence if convicted for alleged acts of terrorism premised on a post credited to him on Facebook and remains remanded at the Medium Security Custodial Center in Calabar where he has spent 88 days so far.
Mr. Ogunlana took to his popular Facebook wall , where he commented thus:
"JOSEPH ODOK , AN ALBATROSS ON A GOVERNORS 'S NECK AND A CHALLENGE TO THE NIGERIAN BAR ASSOCIATION
On 24th December 2019 , RAMINBA ,( RADICAL AGENDA MOVEMENT IN THE NBA ) sent a team made up of Ayo Ademiluyi (the Secretary) and I (as Chairman) to Calabar Prisons to meet two political detainees there . The first is AGBA JALINGO , the second is JOSEPH ODOK , PhD .
 |
| Happier moments: Mrs. Cecilia Odok.and Baby Odok await eagerly the release
of breadwinner |
While Agba Jalingo is a journalist, Dr Joseph Odok ia legal practitioner .
Our RAMINBA team landed in Calabar on 25th December2019 and indeed met with the two men
Sadly, while the public is aware of the travails of AGBA JALINGO,, only a few people relatively know about the suffering of the doctor of Law , Joseph Odok , as his case hardly ever front page news . In reality, Joseph Odok has suffered the sting of hellish state persecution far longer than Agba Jalingo . Called to the Bar in 2006, Odok , 42 years old , was forced out of his lecturer's job at the University of Calabar in 2015 upon being marked down as an antagonist of the Governor of the state and later forced to exile himself from Cross River state after a close shave assasination attempt was made on him by agents he claimed were of the Governor's . All attempts at adequate and proper investigation and prosecution of the dastard incident have been sytmied by state forces . In controversial and suspicious circumstances, Cecilia, his wife lost her job in Abuja at a federal institution and so for quite a long time now, the Joseph Odok family has been in dire straits
Odok's case is another tragically funny one of s Nigerian citizen alleging financial impropriety against a state Governor being tried for treason and terrorism at a federal high court .! Just like the AGBA JALINGO'S CASE . . From interactions with Odok's wife, , it would appear that while the national leadership of the NBA is not (officially) aware of her husband's case , the local Branch of the NBA, in Calabar is not all that interested in rescuing her husband from the clutches of the powers that be in Cross River State .
 |
| RAMINBA launches OPERATION FREE JOSEPH ODOK |
RAMINBA is very keen in intervening in Dr Odok 's matter; including raising relief funds for his distressed family payable into the wife's account and participating cogently in the trial of the matter , said to be coming up again ( bail) before Justice Amobeda of the FEDERAL HIGH COURT 2, CALABAR ON 21 January 2020 .
We humbly solicit the support of all Nigerian Lawyers in the great mission , OPERATION FREE DR JOSEPH ODOK . Details later ."
In a related development,
a Federal High Court sitting in Calabar, Cross River, on Friday adjourned the bail hearing for Joseph Odok, a lawyer charged with terrorism and cybercrime for criticising Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State until Tuesday, January 21 at the instance of the prosecution.
Justice Simon Amobeda, who presided over the matter, in his ruling granted the submission of the prosecution counsel, Dennis Tarhemba which referred the court to its rules that grant a party up to a week to join issues on any process filed.
Tarhemba, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, had failed to appear in court on Thursday with Justice Amobeda ruling that the defense counsel, Oliver Osang, will be allowed to move the motion for bail should the prosecutor be absent.
On Friday, Tarhemba submitted that his office received the process two days back (on Wednesday) and was yet to file a response due to the fact he had travelled and returned on Thursday.
“We filed the motion on Wednesday and served them that same day,” Osang told journalists.
He further averred that, “We will wait for them to join issues and see what they come up with by the next court date.”
Odok risks a death sentence if convicted for alleged acts of terrorism premised on a post credited to him on Facebook and remains remanded at the Medium Security Custodial Center in Calabar where he has spent 88 days so far.
He was arrested at his Abuja residence on September 26, 2019 and endured what family members say was a tortuous journey by road to Calabar where he was then detained at a black site facility.
He spent seven days in the facility before the police approached the Calabar division of the Federal High Court seeking an order to detain him for 90 days on October 4, 2019.
The prosecution counsel, Tarhemba, said the order will aid the police to travel with the defendant within and outside the jurisdiction of the court to retrieve items that will aid their case.
According to the application, Odok was charged with criminal conspiracy, rape, treasonable felony, terrorism and obtaining money under false pretenses.
Justice Amobeda in his ruling granted 45 days with an option for renewal.
However, 10 days later on October 14, the police filed two charges against Odok bordering on terrorism and cyberstalking.
Justice Amobeda in his ruling of December 16, 2019 refused admitting Odok to bail on the grounds that the defense had not shown exceptional circumstances to warrant the court to exercise its discretion.
Mr. Ogunlana has further assured members of the Nigerian Bar Association that if entrusted with the prime Leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association, the Association will stand with its members facing victimisation from any organ or section of Government .
No comments:
Post a Comment