Counsel to the Leader of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Barrister Bello Olisa Nwafor has raised alarm over the continued detention of his client (Chidi Lloyd) who was allegedly blindfolded shortly after his arrival to Port Harcourt from the Force Headquarters of the Nigerian Police, Abuja today.
He expressed fears that the continued blindfolding and detention of Chidi Lloyd by the police was emphatically dangerous to his health and life while in custody.
“Because of my client’s information constantly to me that he was detained at the force headquarters above the one-day that was allowed. Chidi Lloyd was flown into Port Harcourt today, and instead of bringing him to court, after he was detained. The Police would have brought him to court to defend himself, because keeping him back is dangerous as we found, he was blindfolded. And, we don’t know what is happening to him, there is fear for his life, genuine fear.
Barrister Nwafor also called on the Rivers State Police Command to be transparent in their actions of taking his client (Chidi Lloyd) to court to enable him express his fundamental rights.
“If the Police have nothing to hide, they would have brought Chidi Lloyd to court this morning. He is still not brought to court till about 5pm, and you know that, even an armed robber is brought to court with a black maria, why won’t he (Chidi) be brought to court. If he is brought to court, then, we pray that he should be alive”, Nwafor said.
He reminded the police and the defendant counsel that the Chief Justice of the Federation has made rules that paves way for concurrent jurisdiction over fundamental rights application, urging the court to grant his client the right to appear in court to defend himself when granted bail.
“The Chief Justice of the Federation has made rules that we are following at the Federal High Court and the High Court, that they both have concurrent jurisdiction to hear fundamental rights application’, Nwafor said.
On his part, counsel to the defendant, Donald Chuka has argued that the court should jettison the immunity of the (lawmaker), Chidi Lloyd for the police to commence investigation on him, which the court has not granted.
Reacting to the continued detention of Hon. Chidi Lloyd and the alleged blindfolding of the lawmaker by the police in Rivers State, the Deputy Speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon (Barr) Leyii Kwanee has joined other well-meaning Nigerians to criticize the delay by the police in bringing his colleague to court to enable him express his fundamental rights.
Hon. Kwanee equally expressed fears that the handcuff and torture of his colleague Chidi Lloyd poses a dangerous signal in a democratic dispensation as he is considered innocent until a competent court proves him otherwise.
“We hear in court because there are dangers of his where about. You can recall the case of Abiola, when he was arrested and held in custody, few days after he was released, he died. So, we don’t know what the police authorities are doing with Chidi Lloyd. I gathered few hours ago that he was at the Police Officers’ Mess, but now it is about 5pm, Chidi Lloyd is not in court, nobody knows what might happen to him, I was told that he was handcuffed and tortured. Even if there are assumptions that he committed any crime, he deserves an opportunity to express himself before he can be charged to court. Nobody has the right to torture Chidi Lloyd, not to talk of any Nigerian”, Hon. Kwanee said.
The lawmaker further warned that the perpetrators of injustice against Chidi Lloyd and the Amaechi led administration would soon be made to pay for their actions, stating that Nigeria is signatory to several international laws and treaties, and would ensure members of the Assembly get justice through the Hague.
“I want to warn that, the world is a global village, and that, if the courts in Nigeria refuses to allow citizens express their rights, Nigeria is a signatory to several laws, and we can bring them to justice even at the Hague,
Speaking further, Kwanee expressed regrets and disappointment on the police that Chidi Lloyd was invited to the police force headquarters, Abuja for alleged conspiracy, describing the action of the police as a grand plan to undermine democracy in Rivers State and the developmental strides of Governor Amaechi administration.
“If you recalled what happened, Chidi Lloyd was invited by the police force headquarters, Abuja for alleged conspiracy. It is possible to conspire with oneself, who care the conspirator? I have spoken severally that there is a grand plan, a design to undermine democracy in Rivers State. There are elements that are anti-democratic, working to undermine the developmental efforts of Governor Amaechi. It is the grand plan by those who are against the progress of the current administration. There is development everywhere, but, the enemies are at work”, Kwanee noted.
The lawmaker equally called on Rivers people and Nigerians to stand up for justice and fight for their rights by speaking out for law and order to prevail in the current political dispensation, noting that the judiciary is the hope of the common man, and should be jealously safeguarded in the interest of the nation.
In the same vein, Barr. Emenike Ebete who accompanied Hon. Lloyd from the police force headquarters, Abuja to Port Harcourt confirmed that “We arrived Port Harcourt at 8.45am this morning, and over 500 policemen escorted Chidi Lloyd from the Port Harcourt Airport to the office of the Commissioner of Police. He was blindfolded when he highlighted from the black maria as if he was a common criminal. He walked into the CP’s office and spent about three minutes, after that we have not known his where about”, he said.
