*Police publish photos of Ehie, others as wanted suspects
Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
An Abuja Federal High Court, Friday declined to strike out the terrorism charges brought against five loyalists of Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State.
The Judge said the charge sheet only indicated that Ehie is at large and not yet listed on the charge as required by law.
According to online reports, the presiding Judge, Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon declared that court would not strike out the charges as requested by Hon Edison Ehie, the current Chief of Staff to the governor.
The court held that Ehie, who was the factional Speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly, lacked legal powers to request for dismissal of the charges.
Olajuwon upheld the submission of the counsel to the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Simon Lough, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, that Ehie was not yet competent to make any application until he appears in court to take his plea in the terrorism charges.
Ehie, through his lawyer, Oluwole Aladedoye SAN, had applied that the criminal charges against him and others be dropped on various grounds.
He claimed that the Federal High Court in Abuja has no jurisdiction to entertain the trial because the alleged offences were committed in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
He also claimed that he had not been indicted by the police for any offence.
The request was, however, vehemently opposed on the ground that Ehie had not yet appeared before the court to take his plea.
The police lawyer cited Section 396 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act ACJA 2015.
In a brief ruling, Olajuwon dismissed the request of the former Speaker and upheld the arguments of the IGP.
He counselled the Chief of Staff to either surrender himself to police or appear in court to take a plea before he could qualify to make any application.
Recall that the Rivers House of Assembly Complex was burnt down on the night of Sunday October 29,2023, with the suspicion that the 27 Lawmakers led by Martin Amaewhule as Speaker who loyal to Nyesom Wike, Minister of Federal Capital Territory FCT Abuja would sit there and serve impeachment notice on Governor Fubara at the peak of the political crisis.
Meanwhile,the Nigerian Police Force has declared the Chief of Staff, Rivers State Government House, Hon. Edison Ehie and five others wanted over their alleged connection to the burning of Rivers State House of Assembly Complex and other allegations bothering on murder, Terrorism etc.
The Police has published a gazette bearing their photos online.
Ehie was sworn in as the new Chief of Staff to Rivers State Government House,thus replacing the former of Staff inherited from former Governor Wike now at daggers-drawn with his political godson, Fubara.