GOVERNOR WIKE SUES POLICE CHIEF,EFCC,THE DSS OVER PLANS TO INVADE AND SEARCH HIS HOUSE FOR ARMS AND OTHERS

The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, the EFCC and DSS have all been dragged to court for allegedly planning to invade the house of Governor Nyesom Wike.

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, has dragged the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Department of State Services (DSS) to the Federal High Court in Abuja over alleged plan to conduct a search on his residence.

The motion filed by his lawyer, Mr. Sylva Ogwemoh (SAN), is revealed that the defendants intend to raid his Abuja residence so as to incriminate him in an unspecified crime through the recovery of huge sums of money, firearms and expensive wristwatches.

The Governor further stated that any search on his house would warrant to a breach of the immunity as enshrined in the constitution.

He is consequently praying for the following orders: “A declaration that by virtue of the combined effect of Section 308 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and Sections 149 (1) and 150 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, the defendants cannot, whether by themselves, their servants, agents, officers, privies or in any manner howsoever apply for, obtain, issue or in any way or manner howsoever execute any search warrant at his residence in Abuja or in any other place or locations in Nigeria where the issue and or execution of such search warrant would compel and or require the presence of the Plaintiff who is the Governor of Rivers State,Nigeria.

“An order that the defendants whether by themselves, their servants, agents, officers, privies or in any manner howsoever cannot, by the combined effect of Section 308 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 and Sections 149 (1) and 150 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 apply for, obtain, issue or in any way or manner howsoever execute any search warrant at the residence of the plaintiff in Abuja or in any of his residence in any other place or locations in Nigeria during the continuance of his tenure of office as the Governor of Rivers State, Nigeria.

“An order that any purported court process or any application for any court process, search warrant or any process of court by whatever name so-called obtained by or being sought to be obtained by the defendants, their servants, agents, privies, officers or howsoever in so far as such court process or search warrant would have the effect of compelling or requiring the presence of the plaintiff in the course of such application and/ or its execution while the plaintiff occupies the office of the Governor of Rivers State, Nigeria is invalid, null, void and of no effect whatsoever.

“An order of injunction restraining the defendants whether by themselves, their servants, agents, officers, privies or in any manner howsoever from applying for, issuing, entering upon the residence of the plaintiff in Abuja or anywhere else in Nigeria by virtue of a search warrant or any court process whatsoever which shall compel or require the physical presence of the plaintiff who is currently the Governor of Rivers State, Nigeria in order to search the said residence of the plaintiff and to remove from such residence or premises any items whatsoever during the tenure of the plaintiff as Governor of Rivers State, Nigeria, in contravention of the plaintiff’s immunity as preserved by Section 308 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).”

In an affidavit in support of the originating summons deposed to by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Emmanuel Chinwenwo Aguma, it was averred that the governor had, on Saturday, April 29, 2017, held a press conference at the Government House, Port Harcourt, where he unequivocally stated that the Inspector-General of Police, the defendant herein, “either acting by himself or through persons acting on his orders and instructions which include his servants, agents or privies intend to raid the plaintiff’s Abuja residence situated at Ortega Close, off Hassan Usman Katsina Street, Asokoro Extension, Abuja and search same.”

It was further averred that: “The intendment of the raid, according to the plaintiff’s press conference, is to incriminate him in an unspecified crime through the recovery of huge sums of money, firearms and expensive wristwatches.”

The deponent averred that if not restrained by an order of the court, the defendants shall proceed to execute the said search warrant on the plaintiff’s residence when he has not committed any criminal offence and is vested with constitutional immunity.