Over a year after his detention, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has called for the release of Chief Frederick Nwajagu, the Eze Ndigbo of Ajao Estate, Lagos. Nwajagu was remanded in the Ikoyi custodial centre by a Lagos State Magistrates Court in Yaba on April 5, 2023, and subsequent bail applications were denied by the Lagos State High Court.
According to Dr. Alex Ogbonnia, National Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, the group is unhappy with Nwajagu’s continued detention and has condemned it. Ogbonnia urged the Lagos State government to intervene and ensure Nwajagu’s release, also seeking President Tinubu’s intervention in the matter.
Nwajagu has been in detention since 2023 for allegedly threatening to invite members of the Indigenous People of Biafra to protect Igbo lives and property during the last general elections. Despite his poor health conditions, his bail application was rejected by Justice Yetunde Adesanya on July 28, 2023.
Chief Omenazu Jackson, Chairman of the Elders Council of Ohanaeze Ndigbo for Rivers and Bayelsa states, stated that Nwajagu deserves unconditional release. He noted that Nwajagu’s actions were not out of malice but a response to the alarming rise in Igbo-phobia and attacks on Igbo property and individuals in Lagos during the 2023 elections.
