By Victor Nwegede, Abakaliki.
Labour Party (LP) chieftain and former House of Representatives candidate, Dr. Ezeh Emmanuel Ezeh, has filed a fundamental rights enforcement suit before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, alleging persistent death threats from individuals he described as “political enforcers” operating in Ebonyi State.
Ezeh, who contested the Abakaliki/Izzi Federal Constituency seat in the 2023 elections, claimed the threats were issued in response to his public commentary on governance and political developments in the state.
The suit, filed under No. CV/4130/25, listed two individuals including Felix Okemini (a.k.a. Jango) and Sunday Ogbonnia (a.k.a. Bakassi) as respondents. The Inspector-General of Police is also joined in the action to ensure law-enforcement oversight and facilitate the enforcement of any orders the court may grant.
Invoking Sections 33, 38, 39, and 41 of the 1999 Constitution, alongside the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Ezeh is seeking a judicial declaration that the alleged threats constitute unlawful violations of his rights to life, liberty, freedom of thought and expression, and human dignity.
In his supporting affidavit, he stated that the threats have made it “impossible to live freely without fear of being harmed,” insisting that judicial intervention is needed to “affirm the sanctity” of his fundamental freedoms.
Speaking to journalists, Ezeh said he chose legal redress rather than confrontation.
“I refuse to be dragged into the gutters. We are a country governed by laws, and I have chosen the legal path rather than succumb to intimidation. No man will stand idle while his life and that of his family are threatened,” he said.
Drawing on Homeric imagery, he likened the alleged attacks to the dishonour King Odysseus faced on his return home, saying his critics hoped he would “run and never return.”
Ezeh disclosed that efforts to resolve the dispute amicably collapsed “under painful circumstances,” leaving him with no option but to seek judicial protection.
He also alleged that the threats escalate whenever he comments publicly on governance issues in Ebonyi State, a pattern he believes is politically motivated.
He noted that a date is yet to be fixed for the hearing of the originating motion, though his legal team is pushing for urgent protective orders to restrain the respondents from further harassment or interference.
As of press time, neither law-enforcement authorities nor the accused individuals have issued public statements in response to the allegations.
