BY UGOCHINYERE ONYECHERE
EDITOR: EZEKWEREOGU JOHN
Pick up any dictionary, and you will find out how torture links these sentences “to cause extreme physical pain, to give mental anguish .’ What you will not see is that for ‘torture’ to occur, is usually when someone acting in authority (DSS, Police officer etc) causes you serious physical or mental pain to make you give them information, to punish you or to cause you to fear them.
The deteriorating health of Benjamin Mmadubugwu who was arrested since 2015, has become the way to torture him. This barbaric activity of the Nigerian government towards his life has obviously become paramount and at such an evil engagement of shortening his lifespan.
Benjamin Mmadubugwu had on several occasions slumped inside the prison as a result of his deteriorating health condition. The Nigerian government has inversely introduced another means of torture to unconvicted Biafrans which Benjamin Mmadubugwu is a victim too.
Benjamin Mmadubugwu and three others were accused of planning to sever the southeast, South-South, and parts of Kogi and Benue from the abominable experimental areas of Nigeria to the Republic of Biafra, thereby allegedly committing a treasonous crime.
The trial charges have suffered huge setbacks following the biased and unjustified verdicts of the trial Judge Binta Nyako. In all indications, justice has not been played fairly and this is why Benjamin’s health looks more dreadful now. However, the court has paid deaf ears to the plea and calls forwarded legally for Mmadubugwu’s medication which is greatly important.
This reminds of this familiar quote that states “there is no greater tyranny than that which is perpetrated under the shield of the law and in the name of justice.
The Human Rights Act (Article 3) and the European Convention on Human Rights specifically prohibits torture: there are no provisos. This same article also prohibits strictly, inhuman or degrading treatments. This very article has outlined the act of inhumane living conditions, serious assault, and interrogation using psychological methods and failure to give or refusing medical treatments to someone with a serious illness, disease or defect as acts of torturing people.
The next question is posited on how he can possibly survive in the midst of injustice as displayed by the court.
The survival of Benjamin Mmadubugwu is only pressed upon the shoulders of the human rights preservers, to pressurize the federal republic of Nigeria on the need to save the life of this young man. The legal counsel as led by barrister Ifeanyi Ejiofor has been pressing forward on the ill health of Madubugwu, but the court has always waved it off.
If peradventure, or accidentally something happens to him, that end will be disastrous. The trial Judge Binta Nyako should either bail him on conditions regarding his health or rather bring forth evidence compelling him to remain in the prison without medications (without further delay) or better still be prepared to face the consequential routes of Biafrans so long as she keeps disgracing and raping justice in broad daylight.
Publisher: Prince Richmond C. Amadi
FOR UMUCHIUKWU WRITERS
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