After more than 200 days of prolonged detention while awaiting trial, we are delighted to announce that the High Court, on 16 December 2025, has discharged and acquitted Comrade Emmanuel Acha of all charges brought against him.
The court found no merit in the allegations of unlawful possession of firearms and the purported fueling of communal clashes, charges which were clearly fabricated, malicious, and politically motivated. The prosecution was exposed as a classic case of Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation (SLAPP), deliberately instituted to intimidate, harass, and silence a lawful civic actor for his legitimate advocacy and engagement in public affairs.
This landmark ruling not only restores Comrade Acha’s freedom and dignity but also reaffirms the judiciary’s critical role in safeguarding justice, due process, and fundamental human rights against abuse of state power.
In an official press statement signed by Spaces for Change (S4C), all that Comrade Emmanuel Acha did was to challenge, via a lawsuit, the manner in which the Ebonyi State Government handled the Effium-Ezza land dispute. Comrade Acha’s case represents a troubling precedent of how state actors continue to weaponize laws and state institutions to stifle dissent.
Today’s victory comes after months of sustained advocacy by Spaces for Change and members of the Action Group on Free Civic Space (AGFCS) against the State government, drawing public attention to the plight of Comrade Acha. We appreciate the legal team comprising Ikeazor Akaraiwe, SAN and Spaces for Changes’ legal officers, whose collective efforts were instrumental to this judicial victory. We are grateful to the members of the AGFCS for their consistent pursuit of justice and defence of the civic space. We are also thankful for the generous support of the Funds for Global Human Rights (FGHR).
Spaces for Change and partners remain steadfast in our commitment to ensuring that state laws and institutions are used to expand rather than restrict the exercise of civil and political rights.