The warrant demanded the immediate release of the Delta State Take It Back Coordinator, Comrade Ighorhiohwunu Aghogho.
The Chief Magistrate (Special grade) of the Magistrate Court 1 Asaba, Mrs P.U Nsolo (Mrs) has claimed she acted in error over her issuance of a production warrant orchestrated by the police officers attached to the Delta State Police Command led by the Officer-in-charge Legal of the Command Headquarters, CSP. Fidelis N. Odunna.
On Friday, July 22, plain-clothes armed policemen who arrived in two white Hilux vans and an ash-coloured Lexus SUV with tinted glass stormed the Og washi-Uku Correctional Centre (Prison) in Delta State with a purported “Reproduction Warrant” signed by the Chief Magistrate Court 1 Asaba. The warrant demanded the immediate release of the Delta State Take It Back Coordinator, Comrade Ighorhiohwunu Aghogho.
Aghogho was thereafter remanded at the Ohwashi-Uku Correctional Centre on trumped-up charges of cyberstalking, false information and defamation of character on the order of P.U. Nsolo (Mrs).
Nsolo had referred the case under the guise of holding charge with charge number A/241C/2022 to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) on June 8, 2022, for legal advice, saying she had no jurisdiction to entertain the case.
SaharaReporters was told that such actions were in gross violation of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.
Meanwhile, CSP Fidelis N Odunna who led the fierce-looking plain-clothes men stormed the prison demanding Aghogho and insisting that the coordinator be conveyed to the Federal High Court, Warri, with the vehicle brought by them.
After hours of an altercation between them and the prison authorities, the Deputy Comptroller of Correction, DCC Sunday Oyakhire, raised issues with the purported warrant and insisted that it was the duty of prison officials to take inmates from the prison to the court and vice versa and that there was no way an inmate from the prison could be released to police officers to be taken to the court.
Meanwhile, the said “Reproduction Warrant” dated July 22, 2022, and signed by P.U. Nsolo emanated from the Magistrate Court, Asaba, and such could not be relied upon by the prison authorities in taking an inmate before Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Warri who never issued any warrant of such, according to the prison authorities.
At that juncture, the prison authorities acknowledged the evidence at their disposal that Justice Okon Abang did not issue an Order for the production of Aghogho at the Federal High Court Warri on July 22, 2022, and as such Aghogho could not be taken from Ogwashi-Uku Correctional Centre based on the purported warrant signed by P.U. Nsolo (Mrs).
On further verification of the authenticity of the Reproduction Warrant by the DCP Sunday Oyakhire via telephone, Nsolo conceded that she acted in error because she had said she had no jurisdiction to hear the case and she was not properly briefed on the matter.
It was at this juncture that Aghogho was returned to prison custody.
Meanwhile, Aghogho has been protesting the validity of the purported “Reproduction Warrant,” accusing Nsolo, the Delta State Police Commissioner, CP Ali Mohammed Ari, and the immediate past chief judge of Delta State, Justice Marshal Umukoro (retired) of plotting to kidnap and assassinate him over allegation of child trafficking levelled against the Delta State Judiciary, Ministry of Women Affairs and Delta State Police Command.
Nsolo had earlier in an ex parte application filed by CSP. Fidelis N. Odunna on behalf of the Delta State Commissioner of Police, on May 16, 2022, maliciously ordered the Delta State Commissioner of Police to place a Post-No-Debit on the following bank accounts: 1013099263/Zenith Bank, 0619503809/GT Bank, and 2107891646/GT Bank, all belonging to Aghogho.
The Federal High Court, Warri has also sent a warrant to produce Aghogho to court on October 12.