Port Harcourt—The Court of Appeal sitting in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, has set aside a bench warrant of arrest issued against the former governor of the state, Rotimi Amaechi, and two others, NigeriaInfo reports.
Recall that, Justice Chinwendu Nwogu of the Rivers High Court sitting in Port Harcourt on May 18 issued a bench warrant for the arrest of former Governor Rotimi Amaechi; the candidate of APC in the state in the 2023 Governorship election, Tonye Cole; and a former Commissioner for Energy in the state, Augustine Wokocha; Chamberlain Peterside, Sahara Energy Resources Limited, NG Powers-HPS Limited, and Cenpropsaroten Management Limited.
The lower court issued the warrant at the commencement of hearing of the fresh criminal suit on misappropriation of public funds (Sale of Rivers State assets) of about $50m filed against Amaechi, Wokocha and Cole by the former Governor Nyesom Wike administration.
Though counsels for the defendants unanimously informed the court of their motion on non-service-of-court processes, the judge insisted on issuing the bench warrant.
Thereafter, Amaechi and five others approached the Appeal Court seeking to set aside the order of the lower Court. Justice Abdul-Azeez Waziri JCA, who read the ruling prepared by the Presiding Judge of the Court, Joseph Shagbaor Ikyegh JCA, said the lower court’s order was made in defiance of the Court of Appeal.
The penultimate Court faulted the process of effecting service on the defendants and set aside the bench warrant issued on them.