Tina Amanda
The fifteen persons arrested on Wednesday, at the Peoples Democratic Party Secretariat on Aba road Port Harcourt, have been remanded in Port Harcourt Correctional Center on three-count charges of conspiracy, conduct likely to cause a bridge of public peace and unlawful gathering.
The Defendants are Uchenna Favour, Osiah Smart, Daniel Isaac, Omyx Daniel, Charles Bekee, Fred Koate, Dabelem Thomson and Kelviy Markson.
Others are Eze Prince, Brown Salvation, Michael Nduka. George Brown Pelami, Emmy Ugondu, Miller Chibuike and Fineface Isaiah.
They were arraigned before a Magistrate Court sitting in Port Harcourt by the police in collaboration with the Rivers State government.
According to the charges read out in court, the fifteen suspects and others now at large are alleged to have conspired among themselves, attempted and unlawfully gathered to disrupt PDP screening which is said to be against a session of the criminal code laws of Rivers State of Nigeria 1999.
The Defendants pleaded not guilty when the charges were read out to them and their Counsels applied for bail which was opposed by the prosecution Counsel, Chidi Ekeh, from the State Ministry of Justice.
Chief Magistrate AMADI NNA after listening to the arguments adjourned to 26 May 2022, for the ruling on the consideration of bail application.
In an interview with our correspondent, the Prosecution Counsel, Chidi Ekeh, said the Defendants are alleged to have masterminded a bridge of peace at the PDP screening of aspirants, noting that the court will decide whether to grant them bail or not at the next adjourned date
On their part, Chigozie Baduwa and SB Batubo, Counsels to the Defendants expressed hope that their clients will be granted bail on the next adjourned, noting that they have other options to explore for the bail application, as it is a bailable offence.
They said that Defendants who are mostly students will be made to suffer innocently at the correctional centre for the offences they did not commit, an offence the Rivers State government knows it is a lie, offences that are trumped up and no evidence, which is intended to intimidate citizens who came to demonstrate their support for the right choice of persons who they will vote for,
