A federal high court in Abuja has set aside the warrant of arrest issued against Edison Ehie, chief of staff (CoS) to Siminalayi Fubara, governor of Rivers.
On Thursday, Emeka Nwite, the presiding judge, ruled that the court lacks the jurisdiction to grant the order against Ehie and five others.
During the proceedings, Femi Falana and Oluwole Aladedoye, who represented Ehie and five others, argued that the court lacked the jurisdiction to grant the order because there was no pending charge.
In January, Nwite granted an ex parte application from the inspector-general of police (IGP) seeking Ehie’s arrest over his alleged involvement in the fire incident that razed a part of the Rivers state house of assembly complex.
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Ehie, a former factional speaker of the state assembly, was ordered to be arrested alongside five other suspects, including Jinjiri Bala, Happy Benedict, Progress Joseph, Adokiye Oyagiri and Chibuike Peter also known as Rambo.
The ex-parte application was predicated on sections 37, 113, 114, 84 and 184 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015 and section 35 of the 1999 Constitution, as well as section 32 of the Police Act 2020.
On October 29, 2023, fire gutted a section of the assembly complex and the main chamber, amid plans to initiate impeachment proceedings against Fubara.
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The impeachment proceedings began due to the feud between Fubara and Nyesom Wike, former governor of Rivers and minister of the federal capital territory (FCT).
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