Court vacates warrant for Fubara’s Chief of Staff, others’ arrest
A Federal High Court in Abuja has set aside the warrant of arrest issued on Edison Ehie, the Chief of Staff to Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and five other loyalists of the governor.
Justice Emeka Nwite, in a ruling, on Thursday, held that the court lacked the jurisdiction to have granted the order and at the time the arrest warrant order was made, as there was no pending charge before the court.
Justice Nwite had, on January 31, while delivering a ruling in an ex-parte application brought by Simon Lough, (SAN), the lawyer for the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun; issued a warrant for Ehie’s arrest and five others over their alleged involvement in the burning of the Rivers State House of Assembly building on October 29, 2023.
The five others to be arrested alongside Ehie are Jinjiri Bala, Happy Benneth, Progress Joseph, Adokiye Oyagiri and Chibuike Peter.
The judge granted the ex-parte application because the six defendants had been at large to stand their trial in a seven-count preferred against them.
Femi Falana, SAN, and Oluwole Aladedoye, SAN, who appeared for the defendants in separate suits, held that the court lacked the jurisdiction to have granted the order.
While Falana filed a motion seeking an order to set aside the January 31 order by Justice Nwite, Aladedoye applied for a stay of execution of the arrest order.
In a motion marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/112/2024 dated February 2 and filed on February 7 by Falana, Ehie sought two orders, including “an order setting aside the order made on January 31 for want of jurisdiction.
“An order of this honourable court staying the execution of the order made on the 31st January 2024, pending the hearing and determination of this application.”
Giving six grounds of argument, Falana argued that the complainant had not filed any criminal charge or motion before the court.
- The Punch
