General of Police to immediately release the Spokesperson of the
Coalition of United Political Parties, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere
unconditionally as his arrest is illegal, unlawful and contemptuous of a
valid and subsisting Court order.
Ruling in a Motion brought by Chibuzor Ezike, Counsel to Ikenga Imo
Ugochinyere, the Court declared as null, void and of no effect any
remand order obtained from any inferior Court if he is charged and that
such inferior Court upon service of the order of the Court should cause
the orders of the court to be complied with.
It would be recalled that the Police on Thursday last week arrested
Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere at the Headquarters of the Independent National
Electoral Commission; INEC following a meeting he attended in
preparation of his Party’s planned governorship primaries in Edo and
Ondo States. The Police had arrested him on the basis of a petition
written by the Clerk of the House of Representatives forwarding a
resolution of the House directing the Inspector General of Police to
arrest and prosecute the CUPP spokesperson for allegations he made
against the House.
The FCT High Court had on 3rd June 2020 ordered the Inspector General of
Police and the Director-General of SSS not to give effect to the said
resolution of the House yet the Inspector General of Police still went
ahead and arrested Mr. Ugochinyere. The rule of law must prevail at all
times the judge said and all authorities and persons must obey the
courts all the time lest society descends into anarchy.
The Court also ordered that the Order of the Court be served on the
Attorney General of the Federation as the Chief Law Officer of the
Federation. Counsel to Mr. Ugochinyere told journalists that the
Inspector General of Police and Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila risked jail terms
if the order of Court is not obeyed immediately.
