Court restrains Rivers Assembly, CJ from impeaching gov

• We didn’t deliberately shoot Rivers gov, say police
• Confirm arrest of NYCN leader, 122 others
• 121 pro-Fubara protesters granted N100,000 bail

River State High Court sitting in Isiokpo, Ikwerre Local Council, has issued a restraining order to the House of Assembly, the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, Clerk as well as the Chief Judge (CJ) from impeaching Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

The order was sequel to a suit by the governor seeking an interim order stopping the Assembly from going on with the impeachment process on him.

Filed by Fubara, the suit IHC/230/CS/2023 has the Assembly as first defendant, the Speaker as second, Deputy Speaker (3rd), Clerk (4th) and the CJ.

Damian Okoro (SAN), who represented the state government in court and presented the case before Justice Ben Whyte, had prayed the court for an order of interim injunction stopping the Assembly, the CJ or any other person from going on with the impeachment process pending determination of the case before the court.

Whyte, after granting the order, adjourned till November 14, 2023, for hearing.

Barely 72 hours after the political crisis in Rivers State, the police have clarified that they did not deliberately shoot at Governor Siminalayi Fubara while on his way to inspect the burnt House of Assembly Complex on Monday morning.

The Commissioner of Police (CP), Emeka Nwonyi, in a statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Grace Iringe-Koko (SP), explained that the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Operations, following credible intelligence, deployed armed police operatives he reportedly supervised to intercept the ‘hoodlums’ causing mayhem and protect lives and properties within the complex and environs.

Nwonyi said at the entrance of the complex were over 100 youths, who wanted to gain access and who were likely to breach the peace.

He further explained that the action led to the police deploying non-lethal crowd control equipment, including teargas and water cannon to disperse the uncontrollable protesters.

“However, some minutes later, another aggressive group of persons approached the entrance of the complex and advanced towards the premises. The police, therefore, engaged them in a like manner but observed that Governor Siminalayi Fubara was in their midst.

“The Governor’s presence at the scene was of great surprise and shock, as there was no prior communication to the police on the Governor’s visit to the scene of the crime, which ordinarily is the usual protocol and complimentary that we accompany his guard for proper safety, considering the intelligence of security threat at hand then.

“In consideration of this, the DC OPs quickly took deliberate security steps to ensure his safety, while the Governor and his entourage went on to assess the level of damage caused by the fire incident,” the police explained in the statement.

Similarly, the police confirmed that a group of youths reportedly led by the Chairman, National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Rivers State chapter, Chijioke Ihunwo.

They said the youths were arrested because they had the intention to commit a felony, as they allegedly went to the official residence of Rivers Assembly Speaker, Martins Amaewhule, at Forces Avenue, Old GRA, Port Harcourt, where they forcefully gained entrance into the Speaker’s Residence and maliciously damaged the gate of the house.

Meanwhile, the Magistrate Court sitting in Port Harcourt has granted Ihunwo and 120 others bail of N100,000 with 20 sureties in like sum to stand for them.

The court also granted bail to the State Legal Adviser of NYCN, Chigozie Emem, on self-recognition as a lawyer.

The defendants are standing trial on five counts bordering on conspiracy, causing riot, damaging the house gate of the House of Assembly Speaker, unlawful assembly and causing breach of public peace.

The defendants pleaded not guilty to all the five charges preferred against them.