.. . Conviction of Valentine Ilumuanya in “Public Court”
By Gbenga Adewale
Media trial by security agencies in Nigeria has being a source of concern for many decades with legal experts including the Bench and human rights society persistently criticizing the act as despicable and flagrant violation of citizens rights.
The act of media trial among security agent in Nigeria includes all forms of premature parade of suspects in front of journalists’ camera, declaration of suspects wanted without proper and valid order of court, misinformation and bias by disseminating inaccurate details to the public regarding an individual’s or high-profile cases, which can harm reputations and fair treatment of the victim.
In most cases security agencies often use pre-trial media trial like public parade, issuance of press releases to demonstrate that they are working even when cases lack robust and admissible evidence.
This tactic is also used to create an impression of guilt, which can prejudice the minds of the public and potential jurors.
On the negative impact of media trial experts have argued that it can create a hostile environment for the suspect or the accused, potentially influencing judges and undermining the fairness of the judicial process.
It is also the conjecture of human rights activists that when media-charged cases fall apart in court, the consequence is that it can lead to public distrust among the public, the security agencies and the judiciary.
Lawyers also kick against the act as they claimed it undermine the rule of law and contradict the constitutional provision of the presumption of innocence guaranteed by the constitution.
It is in the light of this experts are of the firm belief that security agencies must focus on evidence gathering rather than public relations exercises to ensure that justice is served.
In recent years the Police have improved on this due to persisted criticisms.
However, of concern in recent times is the violation of right through media trial by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), who daily continued to violate suspects’ constitutional right through act of unauthorise media trial.
The NDLEA continued to publish pictures and particulars of suspects and Sharing details of their investigation even before suspects are taking to court as if suspects have been tried and found guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction.
A particular incident of recent, is the sudden and embarrassing declaration of a defendant who have been under trial by the anti-narcotic agency since 2018 till date.
The NDLEA in a recent press release had declared one Mr Uzoma Valentine Ilomuanya as a wanted fugitive who was arrested by NDLEA after 15 years of manhunt.
According to the press statement issued and signed by NDLEA spokesperson, Mr Femi Babafemi, the agency said it arrested the 58-year-man, Uzoma Valentine Ilomuanya, who they. claimed has been on the wanted list of the agency and British authorities for over 15 years.
Babafemi said Ilomuanya was apprehended at a location in Lagos on Monday, February 23, 2026, following a high-stakes, well-coordinated operation by officers of a Special Operations Unit of the Agency.
According to the statement, his arrest ends what the agency described as a “long-standing cat-and-mouse game with the law”.
Reacting to the “successful operation” leading to Ilomuanya’s arrest, the Chairman of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) described the development as a significant breakthrough in the Agency’s relentless war against drug cartels.
He commended the officers of the Special Operations Unit for their professionalism, resilience, and diligence in tracking down the fugitive, stressing that the Agency remains unwavering in its commitment to dismantling drug trafficking networks operating within Nigeria.
However, what is shocking in the whole story is that the agency has pushed out to the general public information that is half -truth if not total falsehood.
In the first place based on documentary records of court proceedings at the Federal High Court ,Lagos, NDLEA has been prosecuting Ilumuanya on drug related charges since 2021 following his arrest in 2018.
Prosecutors from the NDLEA have been prosecuting the case against Ilumuanya on a charge that has passed through three Judges of the Federal High Court, Lagos, Justice Saliu Seidu, Justice. A.O Awogboro and presently Justice Musa Kakaki.
It is also disturbing that NDLEA in the press statement refused to state the fact that that the agency operatives has given evidence during the course of trial .
It would would suffice to say that a glance at the record of proceeding before before the court of Justice A.O Awogboro and Justice Musa Kakaki confirmed that Ilumuanya has appeared on 18 (eighteen) times that the matter has came up before them from the 9th of December 2021 till 23rd of February 2026.
It was also instructing that lawyers from NDLEA had participated in proceeds leading to the trial.
To make matter worse, the anti-narcotic agency claimed it arrested Ilumuanya at a location which they did not mention after a 15 years of painstaking manhunt. The truth however, is that he was arrested in a commando style within the court premises on February 23,2026 after the proceedings of the day and whisked away to their office.
The question then is, if officials of the agency are the one prosecuting Ilumuanya since 2021 and he had been appearing in court on more than 18 occasions that the matter came up in court, where then is the manhunt, or how did Ilumuanya become a fugitive?
The consequences of half-truth media trial is that it amounted to violation of presumption of innocence guaranteed under section 36 (5) of the 1999Constitutio. Of the federal Republic of Nigeria and can result in “Public Court” verdicts which is inimical to the right of suspects or defendants and are very difficult to reverse even when the court of law finds the defendant innocent.
