Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has adjourned the suit instituted by the Obio/Akpor Caretaker Committee Chairman, Mr. Chikodi Dike, against the police until September 30 for hearing.
The adjournment came as the counsel to Dike, Mr. Emenike Ebete, said he had filed a process for the Inspector General of Police (IG); the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone 6; the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Joseph Mbu; and the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State to be committed for contempt of court.
When the matter came up for hearing yesterday, Justice Suleiman Aliyu adjourned the matter after Ebete told the court that counsel to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Donald Denwingwe (SAN), had written a letter seeking for adjournment as he (Denwingwe) had travelled.
Speaking to journalists shortly after the adjournment, Ebete said his client had filed Forms 48 and 49 for the committal of the policemen.
Ebete said Form 48 was for the defendants to explain why they refused to obey court order, while Form 49 was a warrant form to ask the defendants to explain why they should not be sent to prison.
He said they decided to start the process because the police had refused to obey the court order to vacate Obio/Akpor local government area secretariat premises and provide minimum security.
Ebete also added that the defendants had filed a motion seeking a stay of the court proceedings on grounds that they had appealed the refusal of the court to join the suspended Chairman, Mr. Timothy Nsirim, in the suit.
He stated that the order of the court for the police to leave the council premises was yet to be vacated.
Justice H.A. Oganjiwa of the Federal High Court had on May 13, ordered the police to vacate the premises of the council and allow people doing legitimate business entrance, while providing minimum security.
Oganjiwa, however, later withdrew from the matter after counsel to Nsirim, Mr. Dike Udenna, wrote a petition against him for refusing to join the suspended council officials in the suit. The matter was then re-assigned to Aliyu
