Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has been released after being held by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), in what his counsel, Marcellinus Biah, has described as an unnecessary and worrying chain of events.

Kpebu arrived at the OSP around 2 p.m. on Wednesday, December 3, to assist with a probe into comments he had earlier made about the institution. However, according to his lawyer, investigators were not ready to proceed, prompting Kpebu to step outside and speak to waiting journalists.

“When they weren’t prepared to start, Martin used the opportunity to respond to the media outside the OSP compound. After finishing the interview, he returned to the entrance,” Biah told Channel One Newsroom.

It was at this point that matters escalated. A police officer confronted Kpebu over the interview, and he challenged the officer’s objection, insisting he had every right to address the press, especially since it took place outside the OSP premises.

A military officer, whose uniform bore no name tag, joined the confrontation. Biah, who was standing a short distance away, said verbal exchanges followed.

Kpebu attempted to file a formal complaint about the officers’ behaviour, but was informed the complaints unit was unavailable at the time. They were advised to complete the scheduled engagement and return later.

According to Biah, they raised the misconduct issue before an enquiry panel, but were unexpectedly informed afterward that Kpebu was being arrested for allegedly obstructing an OSP officer at the gate.

He said Kpebu was instructed to provide a landed property document and a surety as part of the bail conditions. Biah left briefly to retrieve the required paperwork, but upon returning, he was told Kpebu had already been taken away.

“I came back with the document only to be told Martin was no longer at the OSP. No one would tell me where he had been taken,” Biah recounted.

Kpebu was later released, though details surrounding the conditions of his release remain unclear.