… As Ojukaye fails to appear
By: Felix Ikpotor
Justice Chiwendu Nwaogu of the Rivers State Hugh Court has ordered the Commissioner of Police in the state, Ahmed Zaki arrest the former Leader of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Chidi Llyod over his refusal to appear in court to answer to fresh murder charges preferred against him by the state government.
Mr. Chidi Lloyd is the campaign director of Mr Tonye Cole in the forthcoming governorship elections in the state.
Justice Nwaogu issued tow bench warrants on Thursday after hearing and application by prosecuting counsel Godwin Obla.
The court in its ruling said the absence of Chidi Lloyd and his counsel in court was a clear disrespect to the court and ordered that the state commissioner of police should arrest and produce him in court in the next adjourned date.
The judge thereafter, adjourned the matter to January 10, 2019.
Speaking shortly after the ruling, counsel to the Rivers State government, Godwin Obla explained that the prosecuting counsel applied under section 35 of the Administration of the Criminal Justice Law of Rivers State for bench warrant following his refusal to take his plea on multiple murder charges preferred against him, adding that the letter written by his council was worthless.
“The letter purportedly written by his lawyer, it was not signed, it was not copied to the prosecuting counsel and it was generally discountenanced by the court as a result we applied for a bench warrant to be issued for his arrest”
He added, “ Two bench warrants were issued mandating the commissioner of police in Rivers State to arrest and to detain in Port Harcourt prisons and to produce the defendants in court in the next adjourned date”
Obla acknowledged that counsels to Lloyd had earlier expressed readiness to appear in the matter but were absent at the beginning of proceedings.
The court also adjourned a similar case against Chidi Lloyd and the state government to January 16, 2019.
Also, the factional chairman of the All Progressives Party, APC, in Rivers State, Ojukaye Flag-Amachree and his lawyer, yesterday refused to take his plea as he stayed away from court in a second murder case preferred against him by the state government.
The case is pending before Justice N. Akpughunum .
The court thereafter adjourned to January 24th, 2019 for Flag-Amachree to take his plea.
