Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the arrest of Edison Ehie, the chief of staff to Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State, less than two days after Mr Ehie was sworn into office.
Justice Emeka Nwite gave the order on Wednesday, following an ex-parte application brought by the Inspector-General of Police.
Mr Ehie is accused of being involved in the 29 October 2023 arson at the Rivers House of Assembly complex, Port Harcourt, which occurred during an attempt by some lawmakers to initiate an impeachment proceeding against Governor Fubara.
The court also issued a warrant of arrest against five others – Jinjiri Bala, Happy Benedict, Progress Joseph, Adokiye Oyagiri and Chibuike Peter, also known as Rambo – over the same accusation.
Mr Ehie was the speaker of a four-member faction of the assembly. The faction, which is now defunct, was loyal to Mr Fubara in the feud between him and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, who is the FCT minister.
Mr Ehie resigned as the factional speaker and member of the assembly to pave the way for the 27 pro-Wike lawmakers to take control of the assembly as part of a controversial peace deal brokered by President Bola Tinubu between Messrs Fubara and Wike.
The police suspect that Mr Fubara’s allies carried out the arson at the assembly complex in order to prevent the impeachment plot against the governor.
The Rivers State Government later demolished the complex, claiming that the structure had become defective following the arson.
Justice Bolaji Olajuwon of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Thursday, remanded Chime Ezebalike, Lukman Oladele, Kenneth Goodluck Kpasa, Osiga Donald, and Ochueja Thankgod over similar accusation of invading, vandalising and burning down of the Rivers assembly complex.
Mr Ehie was not listed among the defendants in the case which is being prosecuted by the police.
In the suit before Justice Nwite, Mr Ehie and the other defendants are accused of conspiracy, arson, terrorism, attempted murder, and murder of a superintendent of police, Bako Agbashim, and five other police informants, according to Punch Newspaper.
However, another court has blocked the arrest order by the federal high court
While a federal court ordered his arrest, a State High Court in Port Harcourt granted an application filed by Mr Ehie against his arrest by the police.
Mr Ehie, in the application, asked the court to restrain the police and other security agencies from arresting, detaining and harassing him over his alleged involvement in the burning of the Rivers assembly complex, the Nation newspaper reported.
The judge, Sika Aprioku, granted the application before adjourning the matter to 6 February for a hearing.
As of the time of this report, it was unclear which of the court orders the police would honour. Both courts are of equal powers.
