Jonathan Nwokpor
The Federal High Court in Abuja’s Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon has declined to drop the terrorist charges against five of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s supporters.
On Friday, the judge denied Hon. Edison Ehie’s request, the governor’s current chief of staff, to drop the accusations.
The factional Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Ehie, was found to have no legal authority to ask for the charges to be dropped by the court.
Olajuwon supported the Inspector General of Police’s (IGP) counsel, Simon Lough, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, who submitted that Ehie was ineligible to file any applications until he appeared in court to enter a plea to the terrorism allegations.
Ehie had requested the criminal charges against him and the others be withdrawn on several grounds through his attorney, Oluwole Aladedoye SAN.
He argued that because the alleged offenses were committed in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, the Federal High Court in Abuja lacked jurisdiction to hear the case.
Additionally, he asserted that he had not received a police indictment for any crimes.
Because Ehie had not yet appeared in court to enter a plea, the request was fiercely denied.
Section 396 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA 2015) was invoked by the police attorney.
Olajuwon rejected the former Speaker’s appeal and affirmed the IGP’s reasons in a brief verdict.
According to the judge, the charge sheet just said that Ehie is now at large and has not yet been officially charged, as the law requires.
Before the Chief of Staff could be eligible to file any applications, he advised him to turn himself into the police or appear in court to enter a plea.
Chime Eguma Ezebalike, Prince Lukman Oladele, Kenneth Goodluck Kpasa, Osiga Donald, and Ochueja Thankgod are the five defendants listed on the charge sheet.
The defendants were charged with seven counts of terrorism after they allegedly invaded, vandalized, and set fire to the Rivers State House of Assembly during the political unrest that shook Port Harcourt in October of last year.
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