From Maurice Okafor,Enugu
Reactions has continued to trail the court injunction obtained by the embattled chairman of the All Progressives Congress(APC),Enugu state chapter,Chief Ben Nwoye,to prevent his invitation by police force headquarters at Abuja, who are investigating the false report on facebook which assertted that the Foreign affairs Minister,Mr Geoffrey Onyeama tested COVID-19 positive.
Deacon Okey Ogbodo,Nwoye’s rival in the tussle for authentic state chairman of APC in Enugu state,says that Chief Nwoye has merely postponed the evil day by going to court to obtain an injunction,instead of responding to the force headquarters invitation,to clear allegations against him.
Deacon Ogbodo gave the hints in a press statement captioned “Fake COVID-19 Rumour:-Ben Nwoye should answer police invitation and stop the ugly drama” issued in Enugu, a copy of which was made available to THE AUTHORITY.
The press statement read in parts,”Nwoye has been boasting and gloating around about the ex-parte order he claimed he secured,but the truth of the matter is that he has merely postponed the evil day,the day of reckoning”
“Nwoye claims he has a court injunction stopping the police from arresting him,but is that the prayer of a lawful citizen? I expected him to report to the police as requested,and then ask for a quick arraingment instead of a prolonged detention.But no,this is an outlaw,who must not be questioned or charged”.
Reports have it that Chief Nwoye’s invitation to police head quarters Abuja by officer in charge of IGP’s Intelligence Response Team is based on a petition against fake news on COVID-19 status of Mr Onyeama recently published in social media,attributed to Comrade James Okugo Nwanjoku,an APC Youth leader in Enugu West Senatorial district.
Deacon Ogbodo claims that Nwoye is a partner in the false COVID-19 report on foreign affairs minister,Mr Onyeama,attributed to James Nwanjoku and that is why he is avoding police invitation.
His words,”Investigations by the police have apparently revealed that Nwoye and his co traveller,James Nwanjoku,were both joint administrators of the facebook account,which made the malicious publication.At the point Nwanjoku was apprehended and taken into custody,Nwoye was all over the place,disguising as a human rights activist”.
“But when the investigators extended the dragnet to him,Nwoye fled to the court to seek protection,instead of turning himself over to the police to plead his innocence”.
But Nwoye while he brieed news men in Enugu earlier on,said he went to court to avoid violation of his fundamental human rights. He accused the foreign affairs minister,Mr Geoffrey Onyeama, as master minding the plot to arrest him.
Nwoye stated, “So I decided to go to court to seek protection for my life to personal liberty and freedom because my life is in danger.Nigeria is a third world country where any thing goes”.
The Enugu high court presided over byJustice Okpe while delivering judgement in the suit with No E/228/2020 brought before his court by Barrister Ugochukwu Ezeh on behalf of Chief Ben Nwoye,Barr Benjamin Nebe and Evaristus Asadu stated,
” An order of interim injunction is hereby granted to the applicants,restraining the respondents whether by themselves, their agents, men,officers or privies from arresting,detaining or in any manner restricting the applicants rights to personal liberty and freedom of movement, pending hearing and determination of the substantive suit on notice”
Joined in the suit as respondents are Foreign affairs minister personal assistant, Mr Flavour Eze,the Inspector General of police and the officer in charge of IGP’s intelligence response team.The suit is fixed for hearing next month,June 2020.
