What began as an unrelenting advocacy and litigation campaign by Spaces for Change and members of the Action Group on Free Civic Space (AGFCS) to secure the release of Comrade Emmanuel Acha from prison culminated in a court victory that discharged and acquitted him in December 2025 after spending over 200 days at the Abakaliki Correctional Centre, Ebonyi State. Comrade Acha, a member of the AGFCS, was arrested Gestapo-style at his residence in Enugu at approximately 5:00 a.m. in March 2025 and whisked away to the Abakaliki Correctional Centre. The arrest was carried out in the early hours of the morning without any opportunity for him to contact his lawyers, friends and relatives.
Comrade Acha’s ordeal began in 2024 when he sued Ebonyi State Government challenging certain actions taken by the government regarding the long-standing Effium-Ezza land dispute in Ohaukwu Local Government Area. Rather than engage Comrade Acha’s legal concerns through transparent and lawful channels, Ebonyi State Government ordered his arrest and slammed criminal charges of arms possession, instigation of communal violence and murder against him. Ridiculously, nothing in the charge sheet revealed any evidence linking Comrade Acha to the allegations of arms possession and murder.
In response, Spaces for Change and AGFCS members swung into action, coordinating robust media and litigation campaigns to challenge the prolonged detention, the blatant due processes and executive power overreach. The legal fireworks got a boost when Akaraiwe SAN’s legal chambers joined Spaces for Change’s legal team to provide Comrade Acha sound legal representation. During the trial, the prosecution could not prove any of the allegations. Neither dead bodies nor firearms were tendered in evidence to substantiate the allegations contained in the charge sheet.
As trial went on, S4C and AGFCS members intensified media and advocacy campaigns across the country, attending all court hearings, providing support to Acha’s family while leveraging a wide range of mechanisms to demand Acha’s release. Ruling on a no-case submission filed by Comrade Acha’s defense counsels, the Ebonyi State High Court, on December 16, 2025, cleared him of all the criminal charges. Upon his release, Emmanuel Acha joined his family for the Christmas holidays.
The charges brought against him were widely viewed as strategic litigation against public participation (SLAPP) – a tactic utilized by state and non-state actors to restrict the expression of civil and political rights by activists. SLAPP criminal charges are slammed on civic space actors, not to secure a conviction, but to weaponize the judicial process to intimidate, exhaust, and delegitimize activists, journalists, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). These charges, often based on vague or exaggerated allegations are strategically deployed to create a chilling effect. The mere act of being charged can tarnish reputations, disrupt operations, and isolate individuals from their support networks, regardless of the outcome in court.
The arrest and detention of Comrade Acha reflect the hostile environment that activists, human rights defenders and vocal critics of state actors operate in Nigeria. That is why S4C and AGFCS are reaffirming their commitment to defend the civic space, supporting activists at risk, while providing them the support they need to continue their vital work even in times of crisis. The sustained advocacy and litigation campaigns were generously supported by the Fund for Global Human Rights (FGHR).
