A Rivers State High court sitting in Port Harcourt has issued a restraining order against the Nigeria Police from arresting former speaker of the four aggrieved members of the State House of Assembly, Edison Ehie.
Ehie is the Chief-of-Staff of the Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara.
Parties in the case in Suit No. PHC/227/FHR/2024 are Edison Ehie (applicant) and Inspector General of Police and Commissioner of Police, Rivers State Command, as respondents.
The presiding judge, Justice Sika Aprioku, on Tuesday, ruled that the pursuit of a case to arrest the former lawmaker was purely a politically motivated vendetta.
Justice Aprioku entertained the various presentations and arguments that were made by the Counsel for the applicant, D.O. Okoro, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), and C.M. Dickson, who represented the respondents.
The judge later ruled and dismissed the preliminary objection that was raised on the issue of jurisdiction because it lacked merit.
Justice Aprioku said the respondents were restrained from arresting the applicant because the charges were only aimed at settling political scores.
One of the orders said: “That a declaration be and is hereby granted restraining the respondents howsoever from arresting the applicant based on the trumped up charges in Charge No. FHR/ABJ/CR/25/2024 used as a tool to settle political scores against the applicant at the behest and instigation of one Hon. Martin Chike Amaewhule, over the burning and destruction of the Hallowed Chambers of the Rivers State House of Assembly is illegal, unlawful, unwarranted, unconstitutional and constitutes an infringement of the applicant’s fundamental right against the deprivation of personal liberty.”
The judge awarded the cost of ₦100,000 in favor of the applicant against the respondents.
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