Court orders arrest of Fubara’s Chief of Staff, five others

…As Ehie gets Port Harcourt court nod to prevent arrest

Chief of Staff to the Governor of Rivers State, Hon. Edison Ehie and five others have been ordered to be arrested by the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.

The court, in a ruling that was delivered by Justice Emeka Nwite, equally ordered the arrest of five other persons who were accused of complicity in the alleged invasion, vandalisation and burning down of the Rivers State House of Assembly complex.

However, a Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has granted a motion ex-parte filed by the Chief of Staff to the Rivers State Government House, Edison Ehie, against the Nigerian Police.

Ehie had gone to the court to restrain the police or other security agencies from arresting, detaining and harassing him over his alleged involvement in the invasion of the recent Rivers State House of Assembly.

Aside from Ehie the Federal High court in Abuja also ordered the arrest of Jinjiri Bala, Happy Benedict, Progress Joseph, Adokiye Oyagiri and Chibuike Peter a.k.a Rambo.

The order followed an ex-parte application that was brought before the court by the Inspector General of Police, IGP.

The application was predicated on sections 37, 113, 114, 84 and 184 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015 and section 35 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, as well as section 32 of the Police Act 2020.

A Deputy Commissioner of Police, DCP, Mr. Simon Lough who moved the application on Wednesday, told the court that the six defendants are currently at large.

The court held that it was persuaded by submissions of the police lawyer as well as an affidavit that was attached in support of the application marked: FHC/ABJ/ CS/12/2024.

Consequently, Justice Nwite, aside from declaring the defendants wanted, ordered that upon their arrest and investigation, they should be brought before the court for trial.

It will be recalled that the court had on January 25, remanded five men in prison custody over their alleged involvement in the burning down of the Rivers State House of Assembly complex.

The defendants; Chime Eguma Ezebalike, Prince Lukman Oladele, Kenneth Goodluck Kpasa, Osiga Donald and Ochueja Thankgod, who were docked before trial Justice Bolaji Olajuwon, pleaded not guilty to a seven-count terrorism charge that was preferred against them by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).