In a dramatic twist, Mrs. Ekimini Ebong, the wife of Ekere Ebong, a Uyo-based legal practitioner caught on camera assaulting her, has chosen to withdraw the assault case against her husband.
As earlier reported by MUK TV, recall that Ebong had been apprehended by the police following a petition filed by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Uyo Branch, after a video depicting the assault on his wife surfaced on social media on December 14, 2023.
Although the lawyer was arraigned and identified by the police as a “known habitual perpetrator of violent acts against his wife over the years,” the situation took a different turn when Mrs. Ebong decided against pursuing legal action against her husband.
Mrs. Ebong formally withdrew from the case in a letter dated December 20, 2023, expressing her reluctance to see her husband face legal consequences.
Despite her decision, Mr. Ebong, currently released on bail by the Police, might still face prosecution even with his wife’s withdrawal from the case, MUK TV has learned.
James Ibor, a lawyer based in Calabar, Cross River State, speaking to Premium Times, emphasized that the wife, though a witness, might not sway the prosecution’s course since the crime committed by her husband is considered an offense against the state under the Criminal Code and Administration of Criminal Justice System Laws of Akwa Ibom State.
“And in any case, her invitation may be dispensed with because she’s the wife and the prosecutor may decide not to invite her.
“I’m happy the NBA is involved. NBA is going to deploy every legal mechanism at its disposal to make sure she gets justice whether she likes it or not because it is not justice for her alone; it is justice for the people of Akwa Ibom State, the legal profession, human race and for he her husband, who also has sisters and mother,” Mr. Ibor asserted.
Confirming the situation, Augustine Umoh, the Chairperson of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Uyo Branch, acknowledged that Mr. Ebong was arraigned but granted bail.
