An exparte motion has been filed at the Federal High Court Abuja between Isaac Bristol, the detained person alleged by the Nigerian police to be behind the anonymous X whistleblower handle PIDOMNigeria, and the Inspector General of Police, Commissioner of Police, FCT Abuja, the Attorney General of the Federation and five others.
The court document seen by West Africa Weekly was filed on August 26, 2024, by Deji Adeyanju & Partners, legal representatives of PIDOM (applicant). The application sought the court to mandate the Respondents to produce Bristol to inquire into the circumstances leading to his arrest and detention since August 5, 2024.
They requested the court to mandate the Respondents to appear before it and “show cause why the Applicant should not be granted bail by the provisions of Section 32 Administrative of Criminal Justice Act, 2015 and other extant laws in Nigeria.”
The motion was filed on the grounds that Bristol is a “law-abiding citizen of Nigeria who enjoys the protection of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) as well as other applicable laws, particularly the provisions of Section 32(4), and 36(5) of the Constitution as well as Section 32 of Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015.
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“The Applicant has been continuously handcuffed since his arrest on August 5 and remains handcuffed throughout his current detention in the facility of the Defendants,” the motion reads in part.
It will be recalled that West Africa Weekly reported that PIDOM was abducted on August 5 in Port Harcourt by 15 heavily armed police officers wearing muftis. He was reportedly handcuffed and kept in solitary confinement for six days without food at the Force Criminal Investigative Department (FCID).
Subsequently, the National Cybercrime Centre (NCCC) directed that no one should be allowed to see him, denying him access to his legal team, family and friends even as his health is fast deteriorating.
Several Nigerians, including the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, have called for the immediate and unconditional release of PIDOM. He warned that Nigeria risks regressing into a “banana republic” if actions like PIDOM’s abduction continue unchecked.
The respondents include the Inspector General of Police, the Commissioner of Police, FCT Abuja, the Commissioner of Police, Rivers State, the Nigeria Police Force, the Attorney General of the Federation, the State Security Service, the National Security Adviser, and the Nigerian Army.
– Africaweekly