The Inspector General of Police (IG), Mr. Mohammed Adamu, yesterday complied with the repeated orders of the Federal High Court in Abuja, compelling him to produce a governorship candidate in the November 16, 2019 governorship election in Bayelsa State, Mr. Vijah Opuama.
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Opuama who was the Liberation Movement’s governorship candidate, was arrested by the policemen from the IG’s monitoring unit on the premises of the state’s Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal in Abuja, on August 15, 2020 while waiting for judgment to be delivered on his petition challenging the outcome of the disputed poll.
The IG had ignored the two previous orders issued by Justice Taiwo Taiwo on August 3, 2020, and subsequently on September 2, for the production of the detainee in court.
The judge had on Monday issued the third order, directing the IG to produce Opuama in court yesterday.
The judge had threatened to summon the IG to personally appear in court should he fail to obey the third order.
But following the court’s third order, the detainee was finally produced in court yesterday.
He was produced from Suleja prison where an Upper Area Court in Zuba, Abuja, ordered him to be remanded after the police filed charges of resistance of arrest against him at the court on September 4.
Opuama’s lawyer, Mr. Danaba Pius, told Justice Taiwo yesterday that the police “rushed” to arraign his client at the Upper Area Court after they were served the September 2, 2020 order, directing the production of the detainee in court on September 7.
But the police lawyer, Miss T.O. Amalaha, told the judge that the police had charged the detainee at the Upper Area Court before receiving the court order for the production of the detainee.
She added that the Upper Area Court ordered Opuama’s remand in Suleja prison after the arraignment.
But Opuama’s lawyer disagreed with the chronology of the events presented by Amalaha.
Pius, however, moved a bail application for his client, which was opposed by Amalaha, who also adopted the counter-affidavit filed by his clients canvassing grounds of why the court should not order the detainee’s release.
Justice Taiwo fixed today (Thursday) for ruling.
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