The trial of five loyalists of Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, on terrorism charges in Abuja was on Tuesday scuttled by the heavy security that trailed the movement of the Biafra nation agitator, Nnamdi Kanu to the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The trial was stalled due to the inability of their lawyers to access the Court following the check points mounted by operatives of the Department of the State Service, DSS, during Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, leader Kanu’s trial on similar offences.
The five men charged with terrorism offences by the Inspector General of Police, IGP, are Chime Eguma Ezebalike, Prince Lukman Oladele, Kenneth Goodluck Kpasa, Osiga Donald and Ochueja Thankgod.
They had sought to challenge the competence of the terrorism charges against them and the territorial jurisdiction of the court to entertain the charge.
Although the prison officials succeeded in moving them into the courtroom, their respective lawyers were not able to make it into the court.
Fully-armed and stern-looking DSS operatives had on Tuesday morning taken over all the roads leading to the court with heavy security to ward off possible security breaches during the appearance of the Biafra Nation agitator in the court areas.
As a result, several cases were abruptly adjourned in other courts as litigants and some legal practitioners were turned back by the security operatives.
Although the trial of the defendants was initially slated for 12 noon, it was shifted till 2 pm by Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon to enable the counsel access the court.
However by 2pm when the trial of Kanu before another Judge, Justice Binta Nyako, was still holding and security not relaxed, Justice Olajuwon ordered that the trial be put off at the instance of few lawyers who were able to make it to the courtroom.
With agreement of the few lawyers in the courtroom, the trial was shifted to April 16, a day to the resumption of trial of Nnamdi Kanu on similar terrorism charges.
Justice Olajuwon thereafter ordered that the five defendants be returned to Kuje prison in Abuja to continue their remand.
Among those who made it to the courtroom was a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, Simon Lough who represented the IGP.
The IGP had on January 25 slammed the terrorism charges on them for allegedly invading, vandalizing and burning down Rivers State House of Assembly last year.
They were accused of committing the alleged terrorism offences during the wake of political upheaval that rocked Port Harcourt in October last year.
In the charges against them marked FHC/ABJ/CR/25/2024, police alleged that
apart from burning down the State House of Assembly, some of them were said to have killed a Superintendent of Police, SP, Bako Agbashim, and five police informants at Ahoada community of the state.
The police informants said to have been killed by the defendants are Charles Osu, Ogbonna Eja, Idaowuka Felix, Paul Victor Chibuogu and Saturday Edi.
They are also accused of using various cult groups, Supreme Viking Confraternity, Degbam, Iceland and Greenland to unleash mayhem on the people of the state and their commercial activities.
Specifically, they are alleged to have on October 29, 2023 at Moscow Road in Port Harcourt conspired to commit acts of terrorism by wilful destruction of public properties by invading, attacking, destroying and burning of the Rivers State House of Assembly, an offence punishable under section 26 of the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act 2022.
The defendants have however denied the charges but ordered to be remanded in Kuje Prison in Abuja due to their inability to persuade the court for bail and the gravity of charges against them.