Court Grants Bail To Lawyer Kevin Okorie After Over Three Months In Nigerian Navy Detention

The ruling came during a hearing on January 2, 2025, where a Motion Exparte for Interim Reliefs was brought under the Fundamental Rights Enforcement Procedure Rules 2009. The motion was filed by Kunle Edun, SAN, and Vincent Adodo, Esq., acting as counsel for two civil society groups representing Okorie.

During the hearing, Samuel Ihensekhien Jnr. presented arguments supporting the motion. After careful consideration, Hon. Justice Mohammed Zubairu granted bail to Barrister Kevin Okorie under stringent conditions: ₦10 million bail bond and one surety, who must be a Grade Level 14 Federal Civil Servant.

The suit lists the Nigerian Navy, the Defence Intelligence Agency, and the Attorney General of the Federation as respondents.

The case has drawn significant public attention, with civil society organizations advocating for Okorie’s release, emphasizing his prolonged detention as a violation of fundamental human rights.

According to Okorie’s wife Esther, the detention began on September 10 when naval personnel from the Nigerian Navy’s Iwofe Aker Base in Port Harcourt first detained Jeffrey Agogoh and another individual identified as Udo. The men were reportedly lured to the naval base under the pretense of a meeting, after which Okorie was also called to the facility.

The detainees had been actively supporting a bill for the creation of a Nigerian Coast Guard, which had already advanced through its second reading and public hearing stages in the legislative process. Their advocacy included writing to both the federal government and the navy regarding the establishment of this proposed agency.

“He was invited to a meeting on September 10 and he didn’t return home that day,” Esther Okorie told TheNigeriaLawyer. “The next day, he called me that he was coming back home with some naval officers, but he failed to show up at home. He was also unreachable on the phone.”

The naval authorities initially denied having Okorie in custody when his wife visited the base on September 13. However, Okorie later managed to contact his wife using an officer’s phone, confirming his detention. Despite bringing food to the facility, Mrs. Okorie has been denied direct access to her husband.

According to family sources, Okorie has since been transferred to Abuja, reportedly to the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), though the agency has denied holding him. The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has been petitioned for support in securing his release, but efforts have thus far been unsuccessful.