Battle for Enugu council polls: Police arrest APC’s counsel

The Police in Enugu State, Friday arrested a lawyer, Mr. George Ogara, the counsel for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in a suit before an Enugu High Court, challenging the decision of the State Government to constitute caretaker committees for the 17 local government areas, instead of conducting council polls.

DAILY POST learnt that Ogara was arrested at the Headquarters of Enugu State Police Command by a team of policemen, who claimed to be acting on the orders of the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ekechukwu Nwodibo.

The lawyer had earlier before his arrest, represented an APC chieftain and one of the plaintiffs in the suit at the High Court, Mr. Hyacinth Nsude, who was standing trial at the Enugu Chief Magistrate Court on a one-count charge of perjury slammed against him by the police.

Narrating the circumstances that led to his arrest in a telephone interview with journalists, Ogara said he was in court in the matter between the Commissioner of Police and Mr. Hycianth Ngwu, leading Ike Ozor and Chidi Ani, while Damian Njoku appeared for the Commissioner of Police.
Ogara said after announcing appearances, Njoku, the OC legal, said he wanted to withdraw the charge MEN/90 C/2016 and substitute it with a new one, but he raised objection because they had not seen the new one.
“I told the court that we have taken plea in the other charge and all of a sudden they want to file a new one; let them serve us.

“They served us a new one MEN/166 C/2016. After service, we told the court that we wanted time to look at it and the court granted us an adjournment to April 16. The Police Prosecutor informed the Court that they will add another person to the charge and the court rose.

“I left the Court in my car. Near CBN quarters, I saw a car flagging me down. A Toyota, 1993 Model with men, civilians on trousers and shirts. They wanted to hit my car. I fled, driving towards State CID.
“As soon as I saw police officers, I slowed down and they double crossed me and said they are police officers. I said it is wrong; that they behaved like criminals. They said commissioner of police wanted to see me. I followed them and we got to the state CID.
“They brought a petition written by one Agbodo Friday from Umukwe in Igbo-etiti and one Chidera Odo, from Aku Igbo-etiti. The content of the petition is that I accepted the brief of APC as a party and that their lawyer tried to discontinue the matter in court by filing a notice of withdrawal. That I had intimidated him in court and threatened to deal with him at the legal practitioners’ disciplinary committee, which is a threat to his life and profession.
“That I have also been given huge sums of money to bring down the government of Enugu State. That if I do not withdraw from the case on the next adjourned date, they will charge me to court for doing that case”, Ogara said.
The lawyer, however, said he maintained before the police that he was called to bar to practice as a Barrister and solicitor of Supreme Court of Nigeria and had the right to practice in all the courts in Nigeria and a duty under the rules of professional conduct for legal practitioners, to take briefs, even from suspected armed robbers.
Ogara said he clearly told the police that it was his professional duty to protect the constitution as a minister in temple of justice and liable for any brief he took, but handled carelessly.
He said the police asked him to bring his clients as surety but he refused and after keeping him for about five hours, he was released on administrative bail, pending the April 15 next adjourned date for their arraignment.
Ogara said they want to use the police to intimidate him out of practice in Enugu but that he would use all the strength in him to resist it.