The Nigerian Police Force has finally arraigned Gloria Okorie on a 12-count charge bordering on terrorism, after spending one hundred and fifty-five days in detention.
Gloria Okorie who was arraigned before Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court pleaded not guilty to all the counts levelled against her in charge No. FHC/ABJ/CR/297/2021, dated August 31, 2021.
Justice Taiwo after hearing her plea directed that she be remanded at the Suleja Correctional Centre and adjourned the case till November 18 for hearing of the bail application.
The bail application was filed by Gloria’s counsel made up of Deji Ajare, Nanpon Wuyep, Samuel Ihensekhien Jnr and four others.
The police in its reaction to the bail application filed on behalf of Gloria also filed a counter application opposing the bail application.
Recall that Gloria who just finished writing the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Examination, JAMB was arrested and accused of being a spy for the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.
The Inspector-General of Police’s Intelligence Response Team (IRT) in Owerri, Imo State, arrested her while running errands for her parent on June 17, 2021, and had held her since then until the commercial motorcyclist who was conveying her when she was arrested revealed her whereabouts.
The Rural and Urban Development Initiatives, HEDA Resource Centre, Foundation for Environmental Rights, Advocacy & Development (FENRAD Nigeria), Concerned Nigeria and 15 others, in a joined petition, said it will continue to monitor the prosecution of Gloria.
The statement reads, “Our representatives will be visiting her in prison to ascertain her state of health, including her physical and psychological integrity and to accord her all necessary legal, medical and psychological support that she may need at this time.
“Our legal team will also be following up on earlier fundamental human rights suits filed on her behalf and pending at the FCT High Court and the ECOWAS Court respectively.
“The Police continued to hold her in blatant disregard to court orders for her release. The Vice President had also forwarded to the IGP a letter addressed to him by our coalition requesting his intervention. We did not get any further feedback on this letter.
“It is the height of impunity when the Police feel free to act with such utter disregard to the Constitution of the country, the Police Act and other criminal justice procedural laws as well as regional and international human rights standards that Nigeria voluntarily subscribes to.
“It is even more worrisome when police oversight agencies and political authorities, who ought to call the Police to order on such occasions look the other way and even ignore public demands for action against Police’s flagrant violation of the law and contempt for court orders.
“As a coalition, we will continue to monitor the progress of this case to ensure that justice is not further delayed.”
What Police Said
The Nigeria Police says 22-year-old Gloria Okolie was taken into custody for spying for the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN).
A statement by Aremu Adeniran, Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, said she was nabbed in an operation with the military and other security forces.
Adeniran explained that the suspect took part in the attacks on security formations, critical infrastructure including INEC offices, and killing of security operatives in the South-East.
“The native of Umutanza in Imo was arrested as part of Operation Restore Peace efforts to break IPOB’s information, drugs and arms supply chain,” the spokesman said.
“Gloria Okolie is a member of IPOB/ESN in Imo State who worked closely with one Benjamin Uzoma Emojiri a.k.a “Onye Army”, one of the ESN commanders earlier declared wanted by the Police.
“Onye Army co-planned, coordinated and executed the assault on Imo State Police Command Headquarters and Imo State Headquarters of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS).
“Her arrest and the revelations from her confession, assisted the Police in the arrest of “Onye Army”, a major breakthrough in the quest to restore law and order in the South-East region.”
The Police said Okolie used her gender and seemingly innocuous looks as camouflage to carry out espionage against military and police targets on behalf of IPOB/ESN.
The suspect, the Force continued, also received cash, drugs and weapons on behalf of IPOB/ESN and delivered same to their commanders in their camps.
Adeniran said she actively aided and abetted multiple acts of murder, arson and malicious damage to both private and public property by the ESN.
“A lot of the deadly and unfortunate attacks on security personnel and assets, with numerous fatalities, have the imprimaturs of Gloria Okolie, the spy girl of ESN militants.”
The Police added that the suspect will be charged to court at the end of the investigation.
