On Friday, the Rivers State High Court ordered the Nigerian police to refrain from “arresting, detaining and harassing” the former NDDC chief, Joi Nunieh, on criminal charges.
The Port Harcourt home of Ms. Nunieh was raided by armed police officers on Thursday with video showing a breach of her security in order to gain access.
Ms. Nunieh was later “rescued” by a team of state officials headed by Governor Nyesom Wike and taken to the government house.
But on Friday, State Police Commissioner Joseph Mukan said the command expects Mr. Wike to “turn” Ms. Nunieh to them because she was being investigated for some of the allegations made against her.
But in a court order with suit number PHC/1128 FHR/2020 and delivered by Justice E. N. Thompson, the police have been ordered to halt the move to arrest her until there is leave to do so.
Respectively, the suit filed by Mrs Nunieh was joined by the Niger Delta Minister, Godswill Akpabio, Rivers State Police Commissioner, the State Security Service, the Police Inspector General, and the Nigerian Police Force.
The court also held that the security operatives deployed to Ms. Nunieh ‘s apartment be withdrawn.
“The 1st and 2nd Respondents are restrained from using the 3rd and 5th Respondents to arrest, detam, harass and intimidate the Applicant pending the determination of the Motion on Notice,” the court order seen by this newspaper read.
“The 3rd – 5th Respondents should without delay unconditionally withdraw the men and officers of the Nigeria Police Force from the premises of the Applicant pending the determination of the Motion on Notice.
“That leave is granted to the applicant to serve the 1st respondent (Mr Akpabio) through the office of the Niger Delta Development Commission situate at NDDC Head Office, Aba Road, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and the 4th and 5th Respondents through the office of the 3rd Respondent situate at Nigeria Police Force, Rivers State.”
The case was eventually deferred until 27 July.
Ms. Nunieh, who headed the interim management committee of the NDDC in October last year, was dismissed from the Commission in February this year for alleged corruption.
Her sack was pitched against the minister of the Niger Delta, Godswill Akpabio, who she said played a part in the sack.
This has led both officials to exchange accusations of corruption and other illegality among themselves, with the former claiming that the Minister has sexually abused her, and that she has slapped him — a claim that Mr Akpabio has denied.
The Commission, whose mandate is to bridge the infrastructure gap in the oil-rich region, has fallen short of this for its two decades of existence, largely due to corruption among officials in the Agency.
This led to the investigation of both Houses of the National Assembly, both of which were accused of corruption, as well as an order by President Muhammadu Buhari to carry out a forensic audit of the Agency’s finances.