By Amos Aar
A SOCIAL media activist and critic of Benue State governor, Rev. Fr Hyacinth Alia, Mr Paul Terhemba Gyenger, who spent twenty-seven (27) days in detention over alleged defamation of the governor’s character has been released.
Gyenger’s friends posted his pictures on Facebook on Monday as he stepped out of a building believed to be the Federal Correctional Centre, Makurdi where he was remanded and they also took pictures with him at different locations, celebrating his freedom.
The Legal Adviser of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Clement Mue, Esq., told National Record on Sunday that the Chief Magistrate, Taribo Atta, Esq., had approved Gyenger’s release on Friday (August 15) but he was not informed. He said he would visit the Federal Correctional Centre, Makurdi on Monday, September 18, 2023 to bail his client.
“He signed it on Friday without telling me. So, I will go to the prison tomorrow to bail Gyenger. He has given order for his release but I will be taking him home officially tomorrow,” Mue told National Record via a phone call.
When it was obvious that Gyenger was released, National Record contacted Mue, Esq. again to find out whether his client was released unconditionally or he fulfilled some bail conditions, but he was silent about it. However, Mue had told National Record few days ago that he was working on bail conditions for Gyenger.
Gyenger was arrested on 25th August, 2023 allegedly on the orders of Governor Alia, through the Commissioner for Justice over alleged character assassination following a post Gyenger made on his Facebook wall on August 18, 2023 where he alleged that the governor diverted the sum of N2 billion federal government’s subsidy palliative money allocated to the state.
He was detained at the Benue State police headquarters from August 25 to 31st of the month when he was arraigned before a magistrate’s court in Makurdi and was remanded at the Federal Correctional Centre, Makurdi on the same date.
