Court Remands 15 Over Disruption Of PDP Screening Exercise In PH …As Police Nab Farah Dagogo

A Magistrate Court sitting in Port Harcourt has remanded 15 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members in Port Harcourt Correctional Centre for allegedly disrupting the screening exercise for National Assembly and State House of Assembly aspirants at the party’s secretariat.
The 15 suspects, who are standing trial on three-count charge of alleged felony, conspiracy and unlawful gathering to cause breach of peace, pleaded not guilty to all charges after it was read to them.
Counsel to the defendants, Chigozie Baduwa, SB Batubo and O.L. Dogini moved for bail application, and prayed the court to grant the defendants bail relying on Section 169 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Rivers State, number 7 of 2015.
While the Principal State Counsel for the prosecution, Chidi Ekeh, opposed the bail application, and urged the court to remand the suspects in correctional centre as to face proper prosecution.
In his ruling, the Presiding Chief Magistrate, A. O. Amadi-Nna, remanded the suspects to Port Harcourt Correctional Centre, and adjourned the matter to May 26, 2022 for consideration of bail.
Speaking to newsmen, counsel to the defendants, Chigozie Baduwa and SB Batubo, said the alleged charge was a bailable offence but the court used its discretion to oppose the bail application.
Also speaking, Principal State Counsel, Chidi Ekeh, said the suspects have been remanded but may be granted bail in the next adjourned date.
Meanwhile, operatives of the Rivers State Police Command have reportedly arrested the federal lawmaker representing Degema/Bonny Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives, Hon Farah Dagogo.
Dagogo was arrested and whisked away by security operatives at the venue of the PDP governorship screening exercise in Port Harcourt, yesterday.
According to a statement signed by the Special Adviser on Media to the Federal Lawmaker, Mr Ibrahim Lawal, and made available to journalists, confirmed the arrest but, however said, the whereabouts of the lawmaker was still unknown.
The statement reads: “Federal lawmaker representing Degema/Bonny Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives and Governorship hopeful of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Hon. Doctor Farah Dagogo, has been arrested on the directives of Governor Nyesom Wike at the PDP Zonal Office, venue for the screening of Governorship aspirants.
“Hon. Dagogo was arrested in the governorship screening hall by some police officers and taken to an unknown location.”
When contacted on phone, the acting spokesperson, DSP Grace Iringe-Koko, promised to get back to The Tide but never didas at press time last night.
Earlier, last Wednesday, the Rivers StateGovernor, Chief Nyesom Wike, had declared Hon. Farah Dagogo wanted for hiring cultists to attack the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) secretariat in Port Harcourt.
The governor had hereby directed the Rivers State Police Command to arrest Hon. Farah Dagogo for hiring cultists who stormed the PDP secretariat in Port Harcourt, 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.”

By: Amadi Akujobi