The five loyalists of Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State, charged with terrorism offenses by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) on Thursday, stated that the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has no jurisdiction to entertain the alleged terrorism charge filed against them by the IGP.
The five loyalists charged with terrorism offenses by the IGP are Chime Eguma Ezebalike, Prince Lukman Oladele, Kenneth Goodluck Kpasa, Osiga Donald, and Ochueja Thankgod.
At the resumed hearing of the matter, the first to third defendants made an oral application challenging the territorial jurisdiction of the Abuja division of the Federal High Court on the grounds that the alleged offenses were committed in Rivers State.
Counsel to the IGP, Simon Lough (SAN), urged the court to ignore the oral application by the defendants, stating that there was no such application filed before the court and insisted that the defendants cannot challenge the territorial jurisdiction of the Court orally.
However, the oral application was turned down by the trial Judge, Justice Mobolaji Olujuwon, who insisted that as a court of record, all applications must be brought before the court in writing as required by law.
Justice Olujuwon rejected the oral application sought to be moved by counsel to the first and second defendants through their counsel, Lukman Fagbemi (SAN).
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Justice Olujuwon also turned down the request by the defendants to adjourn the case until their proposed application to challenge the territorial jurisdiction of the Court is determined one way or the other.
The Judge held that the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015 did not permit granting such requests.
Meanwhile, Counsel to the 4th and 5th defendants, Adeolu Salako, told the Court that he was just briefed on the case Wednesday evening and asked for an adjournment to enable him to go through the file and prepare adequately for the defense of his clients.
Justice Olujuwon agreed with the counsel to shift the trial till another date in the interest of fair hearing and adjourned till March 12 to commence trial and that the defendants should be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Center in Abuja until the next adjourned date.
The IGP had, on January 25, slammed terrorism charges on the five Port Harcourt-based men who allegedly invaded, vandalized, and burnt down Rivers State House of Assembly last year.
They were alleged to have committed the terrorism offenses 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 were also accused of using various cult groups, namely, Supreme Viking Confraternity, Degbam, Iceland, and Greenland, to unleash mayhem on the people of the state and their commercial activities.
They are specifically alleged to have, on October 29, 2023, at Moscow Road in Port Harcourt, conspired to commit acts of terrorism by willful destruction of public properties by invading, attacking, destroying, and burning the Rivers State House of Assembly, an offense punishable under section 26 of the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act 2022.