The lawyers, Jerry Aondo, Dr Sobere Nelson, and Odum Eyiba, who are from the chambers of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Tuduru Ede, were arrested on Friday night at a hotel they lodged in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
A Superintendent of Police working for Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers state has been identified as the leader of the police team who arrested three lawyers of the All Progressives Congress while filing a legal proceeding against the results of the just concluded gubernatorial elections.
The lawyers, Jerry Aondo, Dr Sobere Nelson, and Odum Eyiba, who are from the chambers of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Tuduru Ede, were arrested on Friday night at a hotel they lodged in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
The arrest came 48 hours after Cole led the party executives to the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission to protest against refusal to him release Certified True Copies of documents used for the election as ordered by the court.
The lawyers were said to be preparing petitions for the party ahead of their appearance at the election tribunal on Monday, April 3, 2023.
They were taken to the police intelligence and surveillance unit, Ogunabali.
They had items such as laptops, exhibits required for their petition defence, agent’s copy of form extra result sheets (EC8), and certified true copies (CTC) of INEC documents seized by the police.
A source identified SP Salihu Masalachi who is the Commander of Rivers State Special Surveillance Unit as the leader of the team who arrested the lawyers.
The security outfit, called C4i, was re-launched in 2021 by Wike.
Masalachi was also fingered in the different attacks on opposition parties in the state.
“SP Salihu Masalachi is the Commander of Wike's C4i Special Surveillance Unit who goes for destruction of APC campaign rallies and arrest of APC members,” the source who is a security personnel told SaharaReporters.
“He not only led the team that arrested three APC lawyers last Saturday but also gave cover to PDP thugs who attacked the Governorship candidate of APC in Rivers State, Pastor (Arch) Tonye Cole.
“SP Masalachi has been penciled down by Wike as the next Camp Commandant of Government House.”