Lawyer Petitions FHC- Chief Judge, Over Client’s Detention Despite Being Granted Bail, Seeks Probe Of Awka Court Officials
A legal practitioner, Onyeakalam Alilionwu, has petitioned the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court in Abuja over the continued detention of his client, Okechukwu Ugenyi, despite a bail order granted by the Federal High Court, Court 1, Awka, Anambra State.
In a renewed petition dated October 16, 2026, the lawyer called for an investigation into the alleged involvement of the court’s Deputy Chief Registrar, Mba Nkem, and a court clerk, Mrs Ijeoma Okoye, in the circumstances surrounding his client’s continued detention.
Alilionwu alleged that irregularities in the processing of the bail conditions, including the reported disappearance of the case file and conflicting reports concerning the verification of the surety’s residential address, had prevented Ugenyi from securing his release.
According to the petition, Ugenyi was granted bail on July 10, 2026. However, his legal team reportedly encountered several obstacles while attempting to fulfil the conditions attached to the bail order.
The lawyer stated that when his team returned to court on July 13, they were informed that the case file was with the presiding judge, who was making some corrections.
However, the situation reportedly became more complicated the following day when a court official allegedly told the client’s relative that only a particular official, identified as the Officer-in-Charge of Legal at Zone 13, A.N. Oboh, could delay the processing of the bail.
The petition further alleged that the verification of the surety’s residential address, Mrs Okonkwo Ngozi Peace, became contentious after the court file was reportedly declared missing on July 16.
Although the file was said to have been recovered the following day, Alilionwu claimed that the verification process suffered further delays, alleging that the official initially assigned to carry out the exercise failed to visit the surety’s residence.
The lawyer also alleged that on July 23, the legal team was informed that the Deputy Chief Registrar had locked the client’s file in her office before travelling to Enugu State.
The petition equally questioned a negative verification report allegedly submitted by Oboh, which the defence team claimed was later disputed by another police officer.
According to the petition, the Officer-in-Charge of Legal at the Zone 13 Police Headquarters in Ukpo, CSP Innocent Obi, directed that a fresh verification exercise be conducted on July 24.
The exercise was reportedly carried out by Inspector Edith Okonkwo on July 25, with the resulting report submitted to the court bailiff, Anthony C. Anoh, on July 27.
Alilionwu further alleged that the Deputy Chief Registrar and the court clerk subsequently asked the defence counsel to write to the presiding judge requesting a change of prosecutor. The legal team said it complied with the request and submitted the necessary letter.
However, the lawyers claimed that the court officials later informed them that the judge could not act on the request because the court had proceeded on vacation.
Raising further concerns about the verification process, Alilionwu urged the Chief Judge to investigate who was officially authorised to conduct the exercise, whether the initial negative report was genuinely prepared by the police officer whose name appeared on it, and why the subsequent verification report was allegedly excluded from the court records.
The petition also expressed concern over the omission of important documents when the defence team applied for Certified True Copies of the court proceedings on August 17, 2026.
The missing documents, according to the lawyer, included the ruling granting Ugenyi bail, records of the court proceedings, and documents obtained during the verification exercise.
Alilionwu also raised concerns about a possible conflict of interest in the handling of the criminal proceedings. He alleged that Oboh had prosecuted several cases involving the same nominal complainant, Chief Pius Ezeigwe, since 2018.
The petition specifically referred to two cases involving members of the Umuduke kindred, one of which reportedly listed Ugenyi as a defendant.
Beyond the legal concerns, the lawyer expressed serious worries about his client’s welfare in detention, alleging that Ugenyi had been denied access to medication and medical examination. He said a copy of his client’s medical report was attached to the petition.
Alilionwu warned that unless the Chief Judge intervened, his client could remain in detention beyond the next adjourned date of February 17, 2027.
He therefore urged the Chief Judge to exercise the powers of his office under Section 249 of the Constitution to investigate the allegations, ensure accountability, and safeguard the integrity of the judicial process.
The lawyer also requested an independent verification of the allegations contained in the renewed petition, alongside those raised in an earlier complaint dated September 18, 2026.
