Civil Society Organisations, CSOs, under the aegis of Action Group on Free Civil Space, AGFCS, South East zone, called on the Ebonyi Governor, Francis Nwifuru, to release a budding Human rights activist, Emma Acha, who is currently held in an Abakiliki Correctional Facility over alleged possession of firearms and Murder.
The CSO group recalled the bone of contention, which is the arrest of Acha in March 2025 over a lawsuit he filed against the Ebonyi state government in December 2024 about an Effium-Ezza land dispute in the Ohaukwu council area of Ebonyi State.
They alleged that the Ebonyi government decided to ignore engaging Acha in a court of law, but instead chose to arrest him over trumped-up charges.
The various CSO groups, which include the Foundation for Environmental Rights, Advocacy and Development, FENRAD, Spaces for Change, Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre, RULAAC, Better Community Life Initiative, BECOLIN, and the Initiative for Ideal Development and Emancipatory Leadership in Nigeria, among others called on the ebonyi government to see that Emma Acha receives adequate medical care, access to his lawyer and family and a potential release from custody.
They called for implementing the Ebonyi Whitepaper on the Effium-Ezza land dispute, tasking Nwifuru to engage international CSOs and Observers to supervise the implementation of the white paper. The CSOs condemned the abuse of state power while pointing out a possible case of Judicial impartiality.
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Comrade Nelson Nwafor, Spokesman for the CSO groups, called on Nwifuru to respect Acha’s human rights, urging him to drop the politically motivated charges and set him free.
” Comrade Emma Acha was arrested in Enugu at about 5 am in March 2025, and transferred to Abakaliki prisons. According to his family and close associates, the arrest was orchestrated in retaliation for a civil suit he filed in December 2024, challenging the government’s actions regarding the purported Effium-Ezza protracted land dispute in Ohaukwu LGA of Ebonyi State.
“Rather than engage Acha’s legal concerns through lawful channels, the state government has chosen coercion over dialogue, detaining him without bail on trumped-up charges, which include arms possession and Murder. Upon his arrest, Acha was subjected to physical assaults and psychological torment by the police, one of whom hails from Ezza extraction, incriminating evidence was found on him, and his arrest was not based on any judicial warrant.
“We hereby call on Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru to order the immediate and unconditional release of Comrade Emmanuel Acha and others detained for asserting their rights regarding the Effium-Ezza conflict”.The CSOs said
Emma Acha is a human rights activist and a Nigerian advocate known for his work with the Action Group on Free Civic Space.
Acha’s advocacy focuses on protecting human rights and promoting democratic freedoms in Nigeria, often challenging government policies.
