Activist Charges Police Lawyers On Contempt Of Court

A Port Harcourt-based
lawyer and human rights advocate, Barr Chijoke Agi has called on police lawyers to educate the officers and men of the Nigeria Police on what constitutes contempt of court.
Barr. Agi, who stated this while speaking with newsmen in Port Harcourt on Monday, noted that some police officers had taken over matters hitherto in court for their selfish gains due to the closure of the courts in Rivers State.
He said the police were continually delving into the recovery of debts for complainants because of the tendency to charge ten per cent in the event of such recovery.
The Port Harcourt lawyer noted that debt recovery was not under the durisdiction of the police and pointed but that the police were concerned about crime and not commercial transaction.
Barr. Agi said that police were imputing crime in commercial transactions just to be able to recover loans or debts.
He said there was no-where in Police Act where the recovery of debt was included as part of their duties.
He told their legal officers to educate the police on the implication of treating the courts with contempt.
According to him, “when the police take over a matter that is in court, it is contempt of court.”
Barr. Agi stated that many police officers may be facing contempt of court charge when courts resume in the state.
He explained that the police were part of the executive arm of government and noted that it was not their place to interpret the law but to execute the law after interpretation had been made.

Chidi Enyie