On Monday, January 13, 2025, Justice Ifeoma Ojukwu of the Calabar Federal High Court made an important ruling. She ordered the Department of State Security (DSS) and the Attorney General of Cross River State to bring Chief Maurice Omin Iso to court on Wednesday, January 15, 2025.
Chief Iso, the traditional leader of Esuku-Otu Ikot Ansa in Calabar, has been in detention since December 21, 2024. The order for his arrest came from the Cross River State Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice. Iso has been locked up in a DSS facility since then.
Iso believes he’s being wrongfully detained because he won legal battles against the state government over land and chieftaincy issues. He claims that local chiefs close to the state security adviser used their influence to have him locked up unfairly.
In the case, which is numbered FHC/CA/CS/3/2025, Justice Ojukwu instructed the State Director of DSS in Calabar and the Attorney-General of Cross River State to bring Iso to court at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, January 15, 2025. The court wants an explanation for why Iso has been held for so long.
Justice Ojukwu made the decision after hearing from Iso’s lawyer, Justina Oka Obono-Obla, and reviewing all the important documents. The judge decided that there was enough reason to proceed with the case and allowed it to move forward.
Iso was taken from his home in Esuku-Otu Ikot Ansa and has not been able to speak with his family or lawyer since his arrest. He has been accused by the Cross River State government of things like land grabbing, interfering with the appointment of a new traditional ruler, and stealing money from community land sales.
The court’s ruling on Monday, January 13, 2025, gives hope that Iso might finally have the chance to explain his side of the story.
