RSG Blames APC Over Violence At Court

The Rivers State Government says the All Progressives Congress (APC) penchant to violate the sanctity of court environment and unleash violence on innocent people without provocation was becoming an embarrassing ritual whenever they have a case in court.
A statement issued by Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Barrister Emma Okah says the show of shame, last Wednesday, by the APC at the Port Harcourt Division of Court of Appeal was ‘one too many’.
“The APC in Rivers State have not learnt their lessons from their past show of disrespect to the court. To them, nothing is sacred and no institution deserves respects”, Okah said, noting that “this criminality must stop.
“Their invasion of courts in Port Harcourt today (Wednesday) is in line with their character of hooliganism and wanton disrespect for the courts.
“What were thugs hired by APC doing in the Court of Appeal to disrupt lawyers involved in their association’s activities”, Okah asked.
“The issue of boycott of court by lawyers is an internal affair of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA). It has nothing to do with the APC which has suddenly become the mouth-piece of the Judiciary.
According to Okah, Rivers State Government cannot stoop low to show disrespect to the court, and warned APC members with thirst for violence to grow up and act mature, noting that if the courts feel offended, they have powers to protect themselves.
“Lawyers in Rivers State were at will to lend compliance to their association’s directives and APC thugs have no business assaulting them.
“Lawyers are responsible men and would not lend themselves to violence and the APC is warned to respect the rights of others.
“True to type, the APC in Rivers State has a sad notoriety of disrupting court sessions. In Rivers State, the courts were shut down for over a year in 2014, and not long ago, a faction of the APC stormed the Port Harcourt High Court premises and prevented judges and litigants from assessing the courts on that day.
“Notwithstanding this provocation, Rivers State Government will continue to frown at the continued interference in judicial processes by the APC.
“Finally, we urge the security agencies to call the APC members on violence spree to order and bring violators to book”, Okah added.
It would be recalled that the sacked Rivers State APC Governorship Candidate, Arch Tonye Cole and the sacked factional candidate of the Rivers State APC South-East Senatorial District, Amb Oji Ngofa, had allegedly led armed thugs to invade the premises of the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt Division, where they beat the Port Harcourt NBA Chairman, Barrister Sylvester Adaka to a pulp.
The factional Rivers State APC thugs, in company of Cole and Ngofa, also manhandled several lawyers on ground to enforce the NBA order for legal practitioners to boycott courts for two days.
The Tide learnt that the lawyers were in court over the directive of the NBA for all lawyers to boycott courts over the illegal suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Samuel Nkanu Onnoghen by President Muhammadu Buhari.
“On Wednesday, officials of the Port Harcourt Branch of the NBA moved from court to court to enforce the NBA order. On sighting them, the APC leaders unleashed their thugs and disrupted the process,” an eyewitness account said.
Inside the court, five of APC matters were listed for mention.
In one of the matters, the APC sought for stay of execution on the judgment of Justice Kolawole Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt.
Lawyer to Senator Magnus Abe and others, Henry Bello asked the court to adjourn the matter in view of the NBA order to lawyers over the illegal suspension of the CJN.
Also, Counsel to PDP, Chief Godwin Obla (SAN) urged the court to adjourn the matter due to the directive of the NBA.
But the Presiding Judge, Justice Gumel said he would not respect the NBA directive.
“It was at this point that the Port Harcourt NBA officials attempted to explain the need for adjournment to the court, before they were dragged out by Cole’s thugs and beaten up in the presence of the sacked Rivers State APC Governorship Candidate,” eyewitnesses said.