FIVE RIVERS MEN REMANDED AT KUJE PRISON OVER VANDALISM
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The Federal Government has charged five individuals from Port Harcourt with terrorism, and Justice Bolaji Olajuwon of the Federal High Court Abuja has ordered that they be placed under detention at Kuje Correctional Centre.
They will be in jail custody until February 2, when the judge will decide on each of their bail requests.
Chime Eguma Ezebalike, Prince Lukman Oladele, Kenneth Goodluck Kpasa, Osiga Donald, and Ochueja Thankgod are the five defendants.
The defendants on the seven counts were charged with violating terrorism laws by breaking into, damaging, and setting fire to the Rivers State House of Assembly in the aftermath of a political upheaval that shook Port Harcourt in October of last year.
They were suspected of killing five police informants at the Ahoada hamlet in the state, as well as Superintendent of Police (SP) Bako Agbashim, in addition to burning down the State House of Assembly.
Charles Osu, Saturday Edi, Ogbonna Eja, Idaowuka Felix, and Paul Victor Chibuogu are the police informants who are allegedly dead.
Additionally, the federal government charged them with utilising several cult organisations to terrorise the state’s citizens and disrupt their business operations.
They, however, pleaded not guilty to the offences.
Despite not being named in the seven-count terrorism charges, Edison Ehie, the immediate past Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, was represented in court by Senior Advocate of Nigeria SAN Oluwole Aladedoyin because his name was prominently mentioned in the alleged offences.
He refuted the claims that he and other suspects were out of custody.
On the grounds that he was not yet a defendant in the allegations, Justice Olajuwon did not, however, permit additional arguments.
Audu Garba, the prosecution’s lead attorney, requested a trial date for the defendants not long after the arraignment.
However, the first and second defendants’ attorneys, Chime Ezebalike and Lukman Oladele, attempted to move the applications for their bail on the grounds that they had been detained by the police since last year.
Audu Garba objected, stating that he needed more time to review the bail applications and prepare a counteraffidavit because he had just received them.
The prosecution’s attorney and Justice Olajuwon agreed that the bail applications were not ready for a hearing, and the hearing for all bail applications was scheduled for February 2.
The five defendants were to be kept at Kuje Correctional Centre until the suit’s outcome was determined, per the judge’s decision.
The defendants were specifically accused of conspiring to commit acts of terrorism on October 29, 2023, at Moscow Road in Port Harcourt. This offence was punishable under Section 26 of the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act 2022 and involved the deliberate destruction of public property by invading, attacking, demolishing, and burning the Rivers State House of Assembly.
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