Counsel Accuses Police Of Venturing Into Civil Matters

A Port Harcourt-based
lawyer, Barr. Chijoke Agi has criticized the police in Rivers State for taking over matters strictly under civil law.
Barr. Agi, who stated this while speaking with The Tide in Port Harcourt yesterday, noted that he was appalled that in the midst of judiciary crisis in Rivers State, the police had taken  over matters that  fall within civil jurisdiction.
He listed tenancy  and debt recovery matters  as some of the civil matters that had  been taken over by the police.
According to him, the above mentioned matters had never been under the jurisdiction of crime.
Barr. Agi expressed  regrets that the police  were continually venturing into areas that they did not have power to go into.
Often you find  the police trying to criminalise a matter that has no criminal content, just to have a leeway to intimidate innocent law-abiding citizens.
He stated that the scenario panted the police in bad light.
The Port Harcourt lawyer also noted that the police were involving themselves with matters that were already in court before the Judiciary  Staff Union of Nigerian’s industrial action commenced.
He said some policemen were going to face contempt of court charges when the courts resumed.
Barr. Agi said it was contempt of court for anybody to try a matter that was already  in court.
He called on the State Commissioner of Police, Dan Bature to orientate policemen in the State so that they would render quality service to the people, and so  differentiate between criminal and commercial matters.