Informed police source disclosed that a team of senior police lawyers left Abuja for Port Harcourt on Tuesday in preparation for the arraignment today.
The source revealed that the Inspector General of Police, MD Abubakar, had changed the team of lawyers for a diligent prosecution of the case, as they must endeavour to tighten all loose ends in the case.
The police, on Monday, filed a six-count charge, including attempted murder at the Rivers State High Court.
When contacted to find out if Chief Lloyd has been formally arraigned, the Force spokesman, CPS Frank Mba, said that all was set for his prosecution.
Court orders service of fresh hearing notice on police
Meanwhile, a Rivers State High Court, on Tuesday, ordered that a fresh hearing notice be served the Nigeria police for it to arraign the detained leader of the state House of Assembly, Chidi Lloyd, in court today.
The court had expected that the case would be heard in court on Tuesday, having been assigned and a hearing notice served, but the case could not be heard till late afternoon of Tuesday as neither the police prosecutors nor the accused person was present in court.
The presiding judge, Justice L.L. Nyordee, having waited for the police counsel to appear in court, bringing in the accused, without result, adjourned hearing till today, ordering a fresh hearing notice on the prosecution.
“Accordingly, it is hereby ordered that fresh hearing notice be served on the prosecution to appear tomorrow (today). Accordingly too, the hearing would be sent on the prosecution for plea.”
Lead counsel for Lloyd, Beluolisa Nwofor (SAN), told the court that police had violated the State High Court Practice Directory, 2013, which calls for impartial and speedy adjudication of matters.
He, therefore, urged the court to order the complainant, who was also absent, to arraign the accused, so that he could take plea because the matter had to do with criminal charges.
Reacting to the development while speaking to journalists, Nwofor (SAN) said “If by tomorrow (today), the prosecution fails to produce the accused and come to hear the application for plea, we will apply that the frivolous charges be nullified and we will go further to sue for malicious prosecution.
“Chidi Lloyd was declared wanted, that he was on the run. He submitted himself at the Force Headquarters. He was detained beyond 24 hours against the law. Yesterday (Monday), the police prosecution from Abuja filed charges of assault against him and the Chief Judge assigned it to a court which listed the matter for plea.
“Hearing Notice has been served. But what do we have? The police have not been able to produce Chidi Lloyd. So, the police who said the accused was on the run are now the ones on the run. This goes to show that the violations and impunity we are talking about have continued unabated”, he said.
Meanwhile, a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state has raised the alarm over alleged ploys by the state government to subvert justice in the case against Lloyd.
According to a faction of the party led by Felix Obuah, the state’s Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Wogu Boms and the Chief of Staff of the Rivers State Government House, Tony Okocha, were working to ensure that Lloyd was speedily arraigned in court.
A statement issued by the media aid to the factional chairman, Jerry Needam, frowned on the development.
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