Convicted Eze Ndigbo Appeals

By Mohammed Adekola

Eze Ndigbo of Ajao Estate, Lagos, Frederick Nwajagu, has filed an appeal against his conviction by Justice Yetunde Adesanya of the Lagos State High Court, Tafawa Balewa Square, for unlawfully parading himself as a titled chief in Lagos. Through his lawyer, Chief Emefo Etudo, Nwajagu is challenging the constitutionality of Sections 26-36 of the Obas and Chiefs of Lagos State Law (1981), arguing that these provisions violate Sections 39 and 40 of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantee freedom of expression and association.

The embattled Eze Ndigbo urged the appellate court to overturn the ruling and grant him a full acquittal.

Justice Adesanya had earlier discharged Nwajagu of terrorism charges, citing a lack of sufficient evidence from the Lagos State government.

The court found him guilty under the Lagos Chiefs Law and sentenced him to one year in prison without an option of a fine.
Given that he had already spent over two years in custody during the trial, the court ruled that he had served his sentence and was free to go.

In his appeal, Nwajagu contends that his activities and those of the Igbo-speaking community in Ajao Estate fell within their constitutional rights. He argued that any restriction imposed by the Lagos Chiefs Law is invalid if it contradicted the 1999 Constitution.

The appeal challenged the trial court’s reliance on Section 34 of the Lagos Chiefs Law, arguing that the prosecution failed to prove any of the nine charges or establish that Nwajagu publicly declared himself a king or traditional ruler.

His lawyer argued that private cultural activities do not amount to the unlawful assumption of a chieftaincy title.
The appellate court is now set to determine whether the Lagos Chiefs Law infringes on
constitutional rights and whether Nwajagu’s conviction was legally justified.