The Nigerian Navy is being accused of the illegal detention of a Port Harcourt-based lawyer, Kevin Okorie
Details of his alleged detention and refusal by Nigerian Naval authorities to release him were shared by one Gloria Worlu on WhatsApp.
Worlu in the post wrote:
“Barr. Kevin Okorie from Ebonyi State Onitcha Igboeze (sorry if I spelt it wrongly) is a member of the NBA.
“He was invited for a meeting on the 10th of September 2024 by the Navy at Iwofe Aker base in Port Harcourt he didn’t come back that day. On the 11th he called his wife that he was coming back home with some Naval officials. But he didn’t come back, the wife called but his number wasn’t available till the end of that day.
“On the 12th his wife went to the naval office herself. They told her to go to the police station and report that he was missing. She said NO, that her husband told her he was in their custody.
“They sent her away.
“Only for him to call with a naval officer’s phone to say that he’s being held by the Navy. She took food to him and spoke with him the same day. But they didn’t allow her to see him, he was talking to her from another office or cell nobody knows
“It went on and on till His community wrote a letter to the NBA that their son was in Naval custody. Two weeks later human rights advocate and some NBA members went to Naval base but they denied he wasn’t there.
“Human rights invited the wife to follow them again to Naval base on reaching there they said she should go and come on a Monday but the woman protested that she wouldn’t go anywhere that they’ve been holding her husband for 3weeks If he committed any crime he should be charged to court. They denied that there was no record of him.
“The wife said “So who is the person I spoke to and brought food for twice in this same place? Who ate the food?” That was when Mr Eko with this phone number 08035362486 said that Barr Kevin had been moved to Abuja. With no crime being stated. That she should call him (Mr Eko) so that he will give information about where they moved him to in Abuja. Only for her to call as instructed he said he has been moved to Abuja that’s all he knows.
There is no information on his whereabouts from September 10th till today the 26th of December 2024.
The community where he came from has written a petition to the NBA to help get back their son. The wife has been frequenting the naval office. The children have been crying and asking for their dad. The wife has partial blindness. She has been managing her eyes like that for months now. Barr Kevin is the source of support to his family. We don’t know if he is dead or alive. The only clue we have is the Naval base Iwofe Port Harcourt.
