Police arrest guber aspirant, Dagogo, despite protest by Ijaw youths

Court remands 15
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant, Farah Dagogo, has been arrested 24 hours after Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, declared him wanted.

Special Assistant to Dagogo on Media and Publicity, Ibrahim Lawal, who confirmed his arrest to The Guardian, yesterday night, said the lawmaker was quizzed inside a screening hall at the party’s state Secretariat and taken to an unknown destination.

Lawal said: “When it got to his turn to be screened, he went inside the screening hall but surprisingly, he was arrested and taken to an unknown destination.”

Wike had, through his Special Media Assistant on Media, Kelvin Ebiri, declared Dagogo, a member representing Bonny-Degema Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives wanted for allegedly sponsoring cultists to disrupt activities at the party secretariat on Wednesday.

But in a swift response, Dagogo media aide condemned the directives by the governor, alleging that the move was aimed at stopping his screening scheduled on April 28, 2022, as governorship aspirant.

EARLIER yesterday, Ijaw youths, under the aegis of Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide, urged Wike, to rescind his order for the arrest of Dagogo.

IYC said despite calls by Rivers stakeholders on Wike to ensure a level playing field for all governorship aspirants in the state, the arrest order against Dagogo indicated no level-playing field and witch-hunt in the selection of governorship candidates.

The statements reads: “IYC will want to state categorically that Farah Dogogo is a respected leader in Ijaw land, who was at the forefront of the liberation movement of the Niger Delta people before the advent of presidential amnesty programme, which has brought peace to the region that Wike is enjoying today.”

MEANWHILE, magistrates’ court sitting in Port Harcourt has remanded 15 supporters of some state Assembly and National Assembly aspirants on the platform of the People Democratic Party (PDP) in a correctional centre for unlawful gathering.

The 15 defendants, in a charge sheet marked PMC 71/cc/2022, were arraigned, yesterday, and charged with three counts, bordering on conspiracy, breach of public peace, conducts likely to cause a breach of the public peace, and unlawful gathering.

The 15, who pleaded not guilty to the charges, were arrested on Wednesday and were remanded till May 26.

Chief Magistrate Amadi Nna listened to both counsels before fixing May 26 for ruling on the bail application of the defendants.

Counsel for the defendants, SB Batubo, who spoke to newsmen outside the courtroom expressed shock over the decision of the court, noting that the adjournment till May 26 is a ploy to intimidate and victimise his clients.

Batubo said: “This implies that innocent citizens will be made to suffer at the custodian centre for offences they know nothing about.”

Prosecuting counsel, Chidi Eke, from the Department of public prosecution from the Ministry of Justice, said the trial would commence immediately the bail application is considered.