Court summons Rivers Police over refusal to release Chidi Lloyd’s passport
Lloyd, who represents Emohua Constituency in the assembly, is standing trial before the court for the attempted murder of another member, Hon. Michael Chinda, during the fracas that rocked the assembly on July 9, 2013.
The presiding judge, Justice Letam Nyordee, gave the order after the counsel to the accused, led by Mr. Beluolisa Nwofor (SAN), brought an application on notice supported by an affidavit, seeking the order of the court to compel the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Joseph Mbu, to release Lloyd’s international passport seized by the police after he was granted administrative bail following an accident which involved his driver on December 30, 2013.
Ruling on the application, Nyordee frowned on the refusal of the police to release the international passport despite having knowledge that it was part of the bail condition of Lloyd in the matter for which he is currently standing trial.
Nyordee said: “The commissioner of police, who is the complainant in this matter, is aware that the passport is part of the bail condition. The passport was released to the accused on December 13, 2013 for which he was supposed to return on the January 23 on the order of this court.”He said the action of the police amounted to contempt of court and therefore ordered that Mbu and the Attorney-General of the state, Mr. Worgu Boms, return the international passport.
He also ordered that the officer in charge of legal prosecution appear before it on the next adjourned date to explain why the police refused to release the international passport after granting the accused administrative bail.
He later adjourned the matter to February 13 for hearing.
River state police excesses is too much
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