Police Arrest Rivers Governorship Aspirant Declared Wanted by Wike

Date of Occurrence

April 28, 2022
State/Country

Rivers, Nigeria

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The police have arrested a governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) declared wanted by Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State.

Governor Wike had asked the police to arrest Mr Farah Dagogo, the lawmaker representing Degema/Bonny Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, over activities related to cultism.

The lawmaker was arrested by a team of police officers at about 6:30pm on Thursday when he went for his screening at the south-south zonal office of the PDP in Port Harcourt, the state capital.

Journalists were, however, barred by the fully armed security operatives from covering the arrest of the governorship aspirant who is a beneficiary of the Federal Government’s amnesty granted to militants in the Niger Delta.

In calling for his arrest, Governor Wike had accused Dagogo of hiring cultists to attack the PDP secretariat in Port Harcourt.

According to him, the cultists allegedly hired by the lawmaker stormed the PDP secretariat and disrupted the screening of aspirants for various elective positions.

“The Police must as a matter of urgency arrest Farah Dagogo, wherever he is, and must be made to face prosecution,” the governor had said in a statement by his media aide, Kelvin Ebiri.

But Dagogo’s media aide, Ibrahim Lawal, denied the allegations against the lawmaker whom he insisted had no hand in the disruption of the screening exercise.

He said the lawmaker was never at the party’s secretariat where the screening process took place, stressing that he is a governorship aspirant and not a National or State Assembly aspirant.

“The directive for the arrest of Honourable Dagogo violates the spirits of Section 14 and 33 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended),” Lawal said.

“The Inspector-General of Police should direct the Commissioner of Police, Rivers State not to heed the directive of the governor in this circumstance.

“If the Commissioner of Police, Rivers State considers it incumbent to invite Honourable Farah Dagogo, he is willing to make himself available on the receipt of an official invite from the police after tomorrow (Thursday’s) screening, not before.”

Actions Taken

Again, Rivers State High Court Remands PDP Governorship Aspirant, Dagogo

On the 16th of May, 2022 Justice Chiwendu Nworgu of the Rivers State High Court has again remanded the embattled governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Farah Dagogo, in the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre.

Dagogo, who had been in police detention despite a Federal High Court order granting him bail pending the determination of his case, was last Friday carried unconscious into the State High Court by three policemen.
Journalists were subsequently barred from covering the court proceeding.

His lawyer was absent, as he was reportedly unaware that the federal lawmaker would be taken to court on Friday.

The trial Judge, Justice Nworgu, who had earlier adjourned the matter till Monday (today) immediately ordered that Dagogo be remanded at the Port Harcourt correctional centre as he was too weak to stand to take his plea.

But when the case eventually came up today, Monday, Nworgu remanded Dagogo, after listening to arguments from the defence and prosecution teams who were in court.
He thereafter ordered the remand of the accused in prison custody for the second time.
Justice Nworgu then adjourned the case to May 20, 2022, to rule on the motion and counter-motion moved by the legal teams involved in the matter.

Ibrahim Lawal, Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to Dagogo had expressed dismay that his principal was taken to court despite his deteriorating health.

Lawal, in a statement shortly after the court session, had said the High Court, where Dagogo was arraigned, had adjourned to May 16, 2022, only to be brought to court today (Friday).
He Dagogo’s legal team was neither served nor aware of the change of date, according to a statement released by Lawal.
It read, "On Friday, May 13, the Rivers State Government under the orders of Governor Nyesom Wike caused his willing ally and tool, the State Police Commissioner, Friday Eboka, for Hon. Doctor Farah Dagogo to be presented in Court despite his very deteriorating health conditions. Chief of Staff to the Governor, Emeka Woke led police officials from Government House to the Court.

“In fact, the police forcefully brought Hon Farah Dagogo on a stretcher, and the Chief of Staff, Emeka Woke, was busy harassing and threatening journalists at the Court from taking videos or pictures of how he was brought in on a stretcher.

“The journalists were further barred from going into the courtroom.

“The High Court, where Hon. Doctor Farah Dagogo was arraigned and had adjourned to May 16, 2022, only for Governor Nyesom Wike and CP Friday Eboka to break all known laws in the Country by bringing the matter forward before Justice Chiwendu Nwogu, today, May 13th.

“Hon. Doctor Farah Dagogo’s lawyers were not served either were they aware of the change of date or reason for the change of date and as such were not available to defend him.

“This renewed judiciary onslaught by the Rivers State Governor and Police Commissioner, Friday Eboka, was pre-determined to disobey and make a mockery of the Federal High Court Order of May 12, 2022, that granted Hon. Doctor Farah Dagogo’s bail was ignored and disobeyed by Commissioner of Police, Friday Eboka.

“All these are orchestrated and well-planned plots to gradually kill Hon. Doctor Farah Dagogo in Police custody.

“If anything untoward happens to Hon. Doctor Farah Dagogo, the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, the State Commissioner of Police, Friday Eboka, Camp Commandant to the Governor, Efeturi Irikefe, Chief of Staff to the Governor, Emeka Woke, and others should be held responsible.

“This information is for the world to be aware of the impunity, disregard for the court of law, executive rascality, and other known norms alien to a sane society under democratic clime, being perpetrated by the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, who is a lawyer and Police Commissioner Friday Eboka.

“The Judiciary is being raped in Rivers State and the Police has effectively proven to be a political tool of the Rivers State Government.

“We await to see the actions and reactions of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, whose temple of Justice is being desecrated, and the Inspector General of Police, who was supposed to ensure that the Police are responsible for the protection of lives and properties.”

News link: https://saharareporters.com/2022/05/16/again-rivers-state-high-court-remands-pdp-governorship-aspirant-dagogo