A FEDERAL High Court has ordered the police to end their 10 days barricade of the Obio-Akpor local council secretariat in Rumudomaya, Rivers State.
Scores of irate youths loyal to the deposed Obio-Akpor council chairman, Timothy Nsirim, his vice and 17 councillors, before and after the court ruling, barricaded the council secretariat gate to demand their reinstatement or the state will witness unprecedented mayhem if the Caretaker Committee Chairman, Dike Chikordi, and his team attempt to resume work at the council.
Delivering his ruling on an exparte motion brought by Chikordi, Justice H.A. Nganjiwa of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt Monday ordered the Inspector General of Police to withdraw policemen deployed at the secretariat immediately and provide minimal security to enable workers resume work.
Justice Nganjiwa ordered that the workers of the council and those doing business with the local government should be allowed access to the premises without molestation by the police.
The order followed Chikordi's claim through his lawyer, Emenike Ebete, that the council workers and their dependants had been exposed to inexpressible hardship as a result of the police occupation of the secretariat.
The judge said he agreed with the caretaker committee's claim that injuries and damages suffered by the council workers who have been prevented from accessing their offices in the past 11 days as a result of the police forceful sealing off of the council cannot be quantified.
To this end, Justice Nganjiwa, directed the police to provide normal security required at the council to maintain peace, law and order without sealing off the council. The court also charged the Police to apprehend anyone found acting contrary to the order and to detain the person according to the laws of the land.
Obio-Akpor council has been stuck in a political quagmire following the April 22, 2013 suspension of the chairman of the council, Nsirim; his deputy, Solomon Eke; and all the 17 councillors said to be loyal to the Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike. This spurred the Abuja High Court-declared chairman of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, Felix Obuah, to suspend 27 state lawmakers including the Speaker, his deputy and the Leader of the House on April 29. The suspended lawmakers have since dragged the party to court to challenge their suspension.
When The Guardian visited the council Monday afternoon, the policemen barricade was still there. A senior police officer, who pleaded anonymity, explained that there was no way they would vacate the council premises in the face of imminent threat to burn down the complex. According to him, the Police will rather fortify its security of the premises.
The Commissioner of Police, Mbu Joseph Mbu, had at the weekend declared that the secretariat would remain under lock and key until peace is restored to the council.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Angela Agabe, told The Guardian that the Police have not received any formal notification of the High Court order. According to her, immediately the commands get the necessary signal, it will know what to do.
The Guardian
Then the police have no other choice than to adhere to what the court of law has said. The court of law has the final say on the matter.