The second day of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) annual conference in Enugu was marked by a peaceful protest demanding the release of Hon. Bright Ngene, a current member of the Enugu State House of Assembly and a lawyer. Ngene, who represents the Enugu South Urban Constituency under the Labour Party, is presently serving a seven-year prison sentence following his conviction by a magistrate court. The case stems from a community dispute, but many of his supporters believe the charges were politically motivated.

The demonstrators, holding placards with messages like “Release Bar. Bright Ngene now, a political prisoner of conscience” and “NBA please save our democracy,” accused the Enugu State judiciary of obstructing justice. They claimed that efforts to appeal Ngene’s conviction have been deliberately hindered. According to the protesters, at least two judges have stepped away from the case, and the matter has yet to be reassigned within the state’s High Court, raising concerns about fairness and due process.

Speaking to the press, protest leader Benedict Kachukwu described Ngene’s imprisonment since July 2024 as deeply unjust. He asserted that Ngene did not receive a fair trial and called on the NBA leadership and senior legal practitioners at the conference to urgently intervene and ensure justice is served.

Although security personnel prevented the protesters from accessing the main venue—the International Conference Centre—they were allowed to demonstrate peacefully around the premises. The protest eventually ended without incident, but it highlighted growing calls within the legal community and beyond for a review of Ngene’s case and broader concerns about judicial independence and political interference in the legal process.