For allegedly disrespecting a court judgement, the Commissioner of Police In Rivers State, Friday Eboka, and his counterpart in the Administration Section, CP Alonge, have been dragged before the Police Service Commission (PSC).
According to a petition dated August 15, 2022, and signed by a Lagos-based lawyer, Bamidele Ogundele on behalf of his client, Walter Okeke who resides in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria, the PSC is being called upon to set up a disciplinary panel for the police chiefs for allegedly disrespecting a court judgement.
Also fingered in the petition are CSP Gladys Enoho Imegu, Barrister Eniyepere Sikpi, and Barrister Godday Amadi.
They were accused of being involved in a charge presented and acted upon by Chief Magistrate A.O. Amadi-Nna on May 27, 2022.
The petition equally mentioned ACP Alex O. Ebbah, the Assistant Commissioner of Police (Administration) Force CID, Abuja, for allegedly instigating the arrest and prosecution of Okeke unjustly.
The petition contains a volume of documents detailing the legal process that Mr Ogundele claimed forbade the Police from harassing his client.
According to Ogundele, a judgement of the High Court, Port Harcourt Division was delivered in Suit No PHC/202/CS/2022 against the Police and Respondents Judgement Debtor, Paul Ifeanyi Amaonye.
The lawyer, who argued that the bailiff of the court legally applied for the execution of the judgement by requesting security protection to execute the judgement, informed the PSC that CP Eboka made efforts to frustrate the execution through the office of the OC Legal, CSP Imegu.
He, however, stated that the execution was carried out with all the conditions stated in the Writ of Execution dated April 27, 2022, adding that all the goods/chattels removed by the bailiffs of the court were listed via Auction Notice for sale at the premises at Plot 230, Iyowune Street, Trans Amadi Industrial Layout, off Peter Odili Road, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Ogundele said a company named Sacen Projects Limited successfully bought all goods on May 23, 2022.
The lawyer, however, said contrary to the court judgement delivered by Justice T. S Oji of Rivers State High Court, officers from the Police Command arrested Okeke for stealing some goods that constituted the object of the auction by the court bailiff and charged him to a Magistrate Court in charge No PMC/ 884C/2022 and was remanded in a correctional centre in the absence of his lawyer and family.
But on May 31, 2022, Okeke got a reprieve as Justice Chinelo Odili in suit No. PHC/1705/FHR/2022 released him on bail and scolded the Rivers State Police Command for its involvement in a purely civil matter.
He, however, expressed surprise that the same officers were deviant as the office of the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Force CID, Abuja was dragged into the matter, by raising an allegation of stealing pipes emanating from the execution of the court judgement, but this, the petitioner said was dismissed by late DIG Joseph Egbunike who concluded after a discreet investigation that the matter is purely civil and that due process was carried out in the execution of the order.
In paragraph 14 of the petition, Ogundele notified the PSC that he was surprised that the Commissioner of Police (Administration) raised another police wireless message to the office of the Commissioner of Police contradicting the earlier wireless message and reprobating the existing earlier wireless message where it was held that the case is a civil matter.
He specifically stated that on August 11, 2022, the Commissioner of Police (Administration) Mr Alonge mobilised two Rank and files to Port Harcourt, one Inspector Nuhu David with telephone number 07061848819 and another Inspector allegedly went to the office of Okeke to evacuate goods/chattels already sold through auction, but were resisted by Okeke and the new buyer, Sacen Projects Limited.
Ogundele claimed that to date, his client has been subjected to undue harassment and intimidation.
Ogundele and his client, Okeke, therefore, want the PSC to impress on the affected officers to respect the rule of law and stay off civil matters in the interest of justice.
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