A judicial drama played out on Wednesday when a court issued an order granting permission to the police to arrest Edison Ehie, chief of staff (CoS) to Siminalayi Fubara, governor of Rivers and another one ruled against his arrest.
Emeka Nwite, judge of a federal high court in Abuja, granted an ex parte application by the inspector-general of police (IGP) seeking Ehie’s arrest over his alleged involvement in the fire incident that razed part of the Rivers state house of assembly complex.
Ehie, a former factional speaker of the state assembly, was ordered to be arrested alongside five other suspects, including Jinjiri Bala, Happy Benedict, Progress Joseph, Adokiye Oyagiri and Chibuike Peter also known as Rambo.
The ex-parte application was predicated on sections 37, 113, 114, 84 and 184 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015 and section 35 of the 1999 Constitution as well as 32 of the Police Act 2020.
Simon Lough, police counsel, said the six defendants were at large.
However, a high court in Rivers state also granted an ex-parte order restraining the police and other security agencies from arresting, detaining, and or harassing Ehie over the same alleged offences.
Sika Aprioku, the presiding judge, granted the order while ruling on an ex parte motion brought by Ehie.
Aprioku adjourned the matter to February 6 for a hearing of the substantive suit.
On October 29, 2023, a fire gutted a section of the assembly complex and the main chamber amid plans to initiate impeachment proceedings against Fubara.
On January 25, five men were arrested for alleged involvement in the fire incident.
The suspects, Chime Ezebalike, Prince Oladele, Kenneth Kpasa, Osiga Donald and Ochueja Thankgod, were arraigned before Bolaji Olajuwon, the presiding judge.
They were arraigned on a seven-count charge for allegedly burning down the Rivers assembly complex, killing a superintendent of police, Bako Agbashim and five police informants in the Ahoada community.
All five men have been remanded at the Kuje correctional centre pending the determination of their bail applications.
