April 29, (THEWILL) – A lawmaker representing Bonny-Degema Federal Constituency of Rivers State in the House of Representatives, Farah Dagogo, has been arrested by the Police.
Dagogo is a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant for the 2023 general elections in Rivers State
His arrest comes barely 24 hours after the State governor, Nyesom Wike, declared him wanted.
Special Assistant to Dagogo on Media and Publicity, Ibrahim Lawal, who confirmed his arrest, said the lawmaker was quizzed inside a screening hall at the party’s state Secretariat and taken to an unknown destination.
Lawal said: “When it got to his turn to be screened, he went inside the screening hall, but surprisingly, he was arrested and taken to an unknown destination.”
THEWILL reports that Governor Wike had in a statement issued on Wednesday by his Special Assistant on Media, Kelvin Ebiri, declared Dagogo, wanted for allegedly sponsoring cultists to disrupt activities at the party secretariat on Wednesday.
But in a swift response, Dagogo’s media aide condemned the directives by the governor, alleging that the move was aimed at stopping his screening scheduled on April 28, 2022, as governorship aspirant.
Meanwhile, a magistrate court sitting in Port Harcourt has remanded 15 alleged supporters of some state Assembly and National Assembly aspirants on the platform of the People Democratic Party (PDP) in a correctional centre for unlawful gathering.
The 15 defendants, in a charge sheet marked PMC 71/cc/2022, were arraigned on Thursday and charged with three counts, bordering on conspiracy, breach of public peace, conduct likely to cause a breach of the public peace, and unlawful gathering.
The 15, who pleaded not guilty to the charges, were arrested on Wednesday and were remanded till May 26.
Chief Magistrate Amadi Nna listened to both counsels before setting May 26 for ruling on the bail application of the defendants.
Counsel for the defendants, SB Batubo, who spoke to newsmen outside the courtroom expressed shock over the decision of the court, noting that the adjournment till May 26 is a ploy to intimidate and victimise his clients.
Batubo said: “This implies that innocent citizens will be made to suffer at the custodian centre for offences they know nothing about.”
Prosecuting counsel, Chidi Eke, from the Department of public prosecution from the Ministry of Justice, said the trial would commence immediately when the bail application is considered.
