From Chuks Onuoha, Umuahia
Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abia State, Sir Friday Nwosu, who filed a tax forgery suit against Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, has prayed the Supreme Court to merge his suit, which is still pending at the Appeal Court in Owerri Division, with the appeals against the judgment of the Justice Morenike Ogunwumiju panel, which dismissed Justice Okon Abang’s verdict sacking the governor.
Praying for the apex court to consolidate and deliver judgment on all appeals lying at different courts on the Abia governorship tussle, Nwosu argued that it will serve the best interest of justice if Appeals Nos. SC/717/2016, SC/719/2016 and SC/739/2016, lying at the Supreme Court, are heard together with his appeal, CA/OW/190/2016 pending at Owerri, to avoid rendering it an academic exercise.
A five-man panel of the Court of Appeal, led by Justice R.C. Agbo, which was constituted to hear the appeals arising from the judgment of the Federal High Court, Owerri, on Thursday, adjourned to October, 20, 2016, as the court held that counsel to Uche Ogah, O.J. Nnadi, SAN, was not served.
Nwosu noted that the trial of the two suits differently and delivery of two contradictory judgements has caused monumental embarrassment in the country’s Judiciary.
The development has thrown Abia State into a near state of anarchy, since 27/6/2016 and 8/7/2016 when the two Judgements were given by the Abuja and Owerri Divisions of the Federal High Court.
Hear him, “If the Supreme Court does not intervene under Sections 17 and 22 of the Supreme Court Act as I prayed, Appeal No. CA/OW/190/2016 will be rendered an academic exercise and thereby denying me the right to fair hearing. All the materials required for the determination of the Appeal are contained in the Records of Appeal already compiled and transmitted to court of Appeal, Owerri Division in Appeal No. CA/OW/190/2016 Sir Friday Nwosu vs. PDP and 3 others. Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/71/2016 i.e. CA/A/390/2016, CA/A/390A/2016 and CA/A/390B/2016 had been heard and determined at the Court of Appeal Abuja on 18/8/2016 while my appeal ,CA/OW/190/2016 is still being delayed and pending at the Court of Appeal, Owerri.
In the alternative, I pray the Supreme Court to make an order directing the Panel of Justices of the Court of Appeal already set up to hear and determine the Appeal No. CA/OW/190/2016 between Sir Friday Nwosu vs. PDP & 3 ors to hear and determine the said Appeal expeditiously so that any appeal from their decision might be brought to the Supreme Court before the commencement of hearing in the Appeal Nos. SC/717/2016, SC/719/2016 and SC/739/2016 pending before the Pandemonium as /sd
Pandemonium as Naval men strip police officers naked in Anambra
It was a riotous scene at Uga junction, Onitsha Bridge Head, Tuesday when men of the Nigerian Navy stationed at the spot openly humiliated and brutalised four police officers on patrol attached to Zone 9 Headquarters, Umuahia.
An eyewitness told Daily Sun that trouble started for the police officers when on heading towards Atani Road in their patrol van marked B, OPS Zone 9 Headquarters, Umuahia, they encountered a traffic jam at the Uga junction caused by some civilians who allegedly collect tolls from motorists for the naval men.
The policemen who were blaring the siren to clear the road to no avail came down from their vehicle and attempted to remove the log of wood put up by the toll collectors. The collectors put up resistance and one of the policemen pulled out a cane to flog them when the naval men who were watching the unfolding scene from their tenth descended on the policemen, hitting them with their booths, wooden planks, gun butts and any other available weapon on sight.
“I’ve never seen this kind of brutality, humiliation and wickedness in my life before. The young Naval men who stay in that junction take delight in treating people like animals. Imagine that the police team leader is an Inspector and an elderly man who knelt down begging them but they won’t listen. Even common criminals will not be treated that way. When the driver of the police vehicle wanted to retreat and escape from the scene, they still pursued him, brought him out of the vehicle with heavy punches. They shot and punctured all the tyres. The Naval men tore their clothes and treated the policemen with so much disdain that many people at the scene started crying. They even called for reinforcement and more of their men joined in beating the policemen and later bundled them into their vehicle and sped away. Even two people who were recording the scene with their phones were not lucky too as the Naval men caught them, smashed their phones to pieces and broke the sim and memory cards,” the eyewitness said.
Board Chairman of International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, Emeka Umeagbalasi who spoke to Daily Sun described the action of the naval men as unacceptable. He said several cases of human rights abuses, organised extortion and brutalisation of those who didn’t use the nearby pedestrian crossing have been reported against the naval men but no disciplinary action has been taken against them to curtail their excesses.
When the reporter contacted on phone the Commanding Officer in charge of Onitsha Naval Outpost, Odekpe, Captain Dika Kwabe for comments, he said he was not aware of any of such incident. On further probing by the reporter he fumed and said “I’m not aware of what happened please. Are you imposing it on me, I told you I’m just surprised and you are still asking me. I don’t have any duty to either give you information or not, so, you should just accept what I’m telling you . I’m on the way to the office to find out,” he said.