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Court orders arrest of Rivers Chief of Staff over burnt assembly complex

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By Andrew Orolua

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Wednesday, issued a warrant for the arrest of the Chief of Staff (CoS) to the Rivers State Governor, Mr Edison Ehie for his alleged involvement in the burning of the State House of Assembly complex.

Ehie who is the immediate past factional Speaker of the Assembly, was ordered to be arrested along with five other persons based in Port Harcourt for allegedly participating in criminal activities.

Those ordered to be arrested along with Ehie, are Jinjiri Bala, Happy Benedict, Progress Joseph, Adokiye Oyagiri and Chibuike Peter also known as Rambo.

Justice Emeka Nwite granted the order for their arrest while ruling in an ex-parte application brought before him by the Inspector General of Police.

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The ex-parte 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 well as 32 of the Police Act 2020.

In the ex-parte application argued by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria SAN and Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Simon Lough, the six defendants were said to be at large.

The senior lawyer submitted that the defendants were involved in conspiracy, arson, terrorism, attempted murder and murder of a Superintendent of Police, Bako Agbashim and five other police informants.

The five police informants alleged to have been killed by the suspects are Charles Osu, Ogbonna Eja, Idaowuka Felix, Paul Victor Chibuogu and Saturday Edi.

Justice Nwite granted the request of the IGP to declare the defendants wanted and upon their arrest and investigation, bring them before the court for trial. The ex-parte application is marked FHC/ABJ/ CS/12/2024

It will be recalled that the IGP had, two weeks ago, put five Port Harcourt-based persons on trial for terrorism charges in another court which remanded the defendants in Kuje Prison upon their arraignment.

They were ordered to remain in prison custody till February 2 when their respective bail applications would be determined by the Judge.

The five defendants are Chime Eguma Ezebalike, Prince Lukman Oladele, Kenneth Goodluck Kpasa, Osiga Donald and Ochueja Thankgod.

In the seven-count charge, the defendants were accused of committing alleged terrorism offences by invading, vandalizing and burning down the Rivers Assembly complex in the wake of political crisis that rocked the state in October last year.

Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon ordered their remand at the Kuje correctional centre.

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