A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr. Kolawole Olowookere, has written a petition to the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, protesting an alleged plan to arraign Chief Nwigwe Emeka Williams, a community leader in Imo State, on terrorism and kidnapping charges.
Olowookere, in the petition received and acknowledged by the AGF’s office on April 10, 2025, described the move as a miscarriage of justice and a possible abuse of prosecutorial power.
He urged the AGF to urgently investigate the circumstances surrounding the renewed effort to implicate the community leader in a matter he claims had already been fully investigated and resolved.
The case involves the December 17, 2022 abduction and murder of Eze Basil Okafor, the traditional ruler of Amanze community.
According to Olowookere, the Special Tactical Squad (STS) of the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters, Abuja, had thoroughly investigated the crime, identified the culprits, prosecuted them in court, and secured convictions in some instances.
The SAN maintained that Chief Williams was never indicted in any of the police investigations, which were carried out on two separate occasions.
He described the current move to add Williams to the charge sheet nearly two years later as suspicious and unjustified.
He argued that the Federal Ministry of Justice, allegedly under the influence of external forces, was attempting to “rope in” the community leader despite a lack of fresh evidence.
A police report dated September 30, 2024, with reference number CB:4099/FID/STC/FHQ/ABJ/T.4/Vol.4/94, was submitted with the petition as evidence.
The report stated that Chief Williams had only contributed N1 million towards a N4 million ransom, a payment coordinated through the account of the late monarch’s brother, Mr. Charles Njoku.
Olowookere insisted that rather than being treated as a suspect, Chief Williams should be seen as a witness who acted in good faith to save a life.
“It is unjust to criminalize a community leader for supporting efforts to secure the release of a kidnapped traditional ruler,” the SAN wrote.
He called on the AGF to act swiftly and ensure that Chief Williams is not wrongly prosecuted when he is due to appear in court on May 22, 2025.
