The Federal High Court in Abuja has set aside the arrest warrant issued against Edison Ehie, Rivers governor Siminalayi Fubara’s chief of staff (CoS).
The sitting judge, Emeka Nwite, concluded that the court lacked the authority to issue the order against Ehie and five others on Thursday.
During the hearings, Femi Falana and Oluwole Aladedoye, who represented Ehie and five others, claimed that the court lacked authority to issue the order because no charge was pending.
In January, Nwite granted an ex parte plea from the inspector-general of police (IGP) seeking Ehie’s arrest for his suspected involvement in the fire that destroyed a portion of the Rivers state house of assembly.
Ehie, a former factional speaker of the state assembly, was ordered arrested alongside five other suspects: Jinjiri Bala, Happy Benedict, Progress Joseph, Adokiye Oyagiri, and Chibuike Peter, also known as Rambo.
The ex-parte application was based on Sections 37, 113, 114, 84, and 184 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, Section 35 of the 1999 Constitution, and Section 32 of the Police Act 2020.
On October 29, 2023, a fire burned a section of the assembly building and the main chamber, prompting attempts to impeach Fubara.
The impeachment procedures began as a result of a rivalry between Fubara and Nyesom Wike, former Governor of Rivers and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Source: TheCable
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