SEVEN HOURS AFTER, POLICEMEN SENT BY IGP CONTINUES TO LAY SIEGE ON HOME OF CHIOMA OKOLI OVER ERISCO TOMATO REVIEW Armed policemen are still laying siege on the private residence of Chioma Edoka Okoli more than seven hours after they invaded her home. They’ve called for reinforcement are waiting for orders from the IGP to break into her home at Sangotedo where she is living with her baby and re-arrest. They have not produced any court order authorizing them to re-arrest Chioma. This is the result of years of lawlessness and impunity in the country. The IGP has overruled the order made on November 8, 2023 by Hon. Justice Bogoro of the Federal High Court in Lagos that my client must not be re-arrested or detained except on the express order of a court of competent jurisdiction if she is served with a summons and she fails to appear in court. They have not served Chioma with any summons or charge. They secretly filed a charge against her at the Federal High Court in Abuja (instead of Lagos where the case arose) which pending before Hon. Justice A. R. Mohammed. When the case in Abuja came up on 7th December, 2023, the police told the court that they were unable to serve her with the charge (this is a lie because she was never in hiding and no attempt was made to serve her). The police counsel then applied for adjournment to enable them file a motion to get leave (permission) to serve Chioma with the charge by substituted means. The case was adjourned to tomorrow 10th January, 2024 for the said motion. Justice Mohammed did not make any order for the arrest of Chioma. Indeed, the court said the issue of arrest warrant does not arise since the Defendant had not been served with the charge. Instead of going back to court to get the leave to serve her with the charge, the IGP ordered his men this morning to raid the house of my client and forcefully arrest her without a court order. How can the police file a charge in court and still disregard the orders of the same court? Is the IGP working for
and Chief Eric Umeofia? The policemen in large numbers are still laying siege on the house. The head of the team told me pointedly that he can’t obey a court order when the IGP has given him a contrary directive. He said the PSO to the IGP called him directly. Is Nigeria a banana republic?
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