<blockquote><b>Influencer Ijele Speaks Finally Released From Ikoyi Prison After Over A Year In Custody Amid Defamation Charges By Evangelist Ebuka Obi</b><br><br>Social media influencer <b>Chizorom Harrison Ofoegbu, popularly known as Ijele Speaks II, has been released from the Ikoyi Correctional Centre in Lagos.</b><br><br>His release on Friday followed the signing of a release warrant by Justice Daniel Osiagor of the Federal High Court in Lagos, in accordance with the bail earlier granted to him.<br><br>On Thursday, SaharaReporters had reported that the court again granted Ofoegbu bail in Charge No: FHC/L/321/2024Inspector General of Police v. Chizorom Harrison Ofoegbuunder the same conditions as his previous bail.<br><br>Justice Osiagor, expressing concern over Ofoegbus prolonged detention despite meeting his bail conditions, noted that federal prosecutors had repeatedly failed to appear for his arraignment.<br><br>In the absence of a valid court order to continue holding him, the judge directed the defence team to request his release from the Ikoyi Correctional Centre formally.<br><br>Ofoegbu had been detained for over a year.<br><br>A Lagos-based lawyer, Yakubu Galadima, Esq., had submitted a formal petition to the Comptroller of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Lagos Command, demanding the immediate release of Ofoegbu, who had been in custody since March 2024.<br><br>In the petition addressed to the Lagos Command headquarters in Alagbon, Galadima decried the continued detention of Ofoegbu despite his full compliance with bail conditions set by the Federal High Court.<br><br>He noted that on June 14, 2024, the Federal High Court in Lagos, presided over by Justice A. Aluko, granted bail to Ofoegbu in Charge No: FHC/L/321/2024Inspector General of Police v. Chizorom Harrison Ofoegbu.<br><br>The court later varied the bail conditions on July 19, 2024, and the defendant had since perfected all requirements.<br><br>Galadima expressed shock that Ofoegbu remained detained at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre despite meeting all legal conditions. <br><br>He disclosed that inquiries suggested the detention might be connected to a separate charge allegedly pending before the Federal High Court in Awka, Anambra State.<br><br>Describing the continued detention as unlawful, Galadima argued that holding Ofoegbu without a valid remand order violated his constitutional rights under Chapter IV of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). <br><br>He also labelled it a flagrant disobedience of valid and subsisting orders of the Federal High Court in Lagos.<br><br>Ofoegbu was initially remanded at Keffi Correctional Centre in 2024 over allegations including cyberstalking, criminal intimidation, and threats to life, particularly involving Evangelist Ebuka Obi. <br><br>His legal team argued that the police misled the court into granting the remand order and that the documents used were allegedly forged.<br><br>Despite being granted bail by the Federal High Court in Lagos in June 2024and even after meeting all bail conditionsOfoegbu remained in custody. <br><br>His continued detention was later linked to a separate charge pending before the Federal High Court in Awka. His lawyers subsequently filed petitions and motions demanding his release, citing violations of his constitutional rights.<br><br>The transfer of Ofoegbus case to Lagos followed a legal victory: a court nullified an arrest warrant to move him to Anambra State.<br><br>Ofoegbu was taken into custody by the Nigeria Police Force in March 2024 after he publicly accused Obi, founder of the Zion Prayer Movement Outreach, of orchestrating fake miracles.<br><br>In a viral post, Ofoegbu described the pastor as a fraud and dismissed his televised miracles as staged performances. He also called for Obis arrest, alleging that he had commercialised his religious platform.<br><br>In response, police authorities in Abuja summoned Ofoegbu over allegations of criminal intimidation, threat to life, cyberstalking, and cyberbullying. <br><br>However, after honouring the police invitation, he was detained and later transferred to the Keffi Correctional Centre in Nasarawa State.<br><br>Ofoegbus prolonged detention has drawn criticism from civil rights groups and activists, who view the case as a troubling attack on free speech and have continued to demand his immediate release.</blockquote><br><a rel=ugc href="https://saharareporters.com/2025/06/27/breaking-influencer-ijele-speaks-finally-released-ikoyi-prison-after-over-year-custody">https://saharareporters.com/2025/06/27/breaking-influencer-ijele-speaks-finally-released-ikoyi-prison-after-over-year-custody</a>
Click here to read full news..
