Police deny refusing to bring Farah Dagogo to court

Rivers State Police Command has debunked reports that it refused to bring lawmaker representing Degema-Bonny Federal Constituency, Farah Dagogo to court.

DSP Grace W. Iringe-Koko, the public relations officer the command in a statement said the lawyer representing the Lawmaker asked the command for permission to allow him attend to medical issues.

Read the statement in full

The attention of the Rivers State Police Command has been drawn to the reports on social and even the electronic/print media that the Command refused to take Hon. Farah Dagogo to Court. It has become necessary to put the record straight at this point as even the legal team to the Honourable who are pleading behind the camera that their client is not well enough to appear in Court, have joined those making the insinuation that the Police refused to take their client to Court.

It could be recalled that when Hon. Farah Dagogo was arraigned on 29th April 2022, the matter was adjourned to the 9th day of May 2022. However, on 4th May 2022, the Hon. complained of abdominal pains. He was initially treated at the Police clinic where abdominal scan report indicated Acute Peptic Ulcer. On the request of his personal physician, Dr. Kenneth A. Wariboko, he was referred to Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt.

On 9th May 2022, the adjournment date, Hon. claimed he was not strong enough to go to Court, even though Dr. Kenneth wrote in a letter dated 6/5/2022, that “All investigations done at RSUTH are of normal values yet patient is not improving as expected”. However, in order to avoid creating a scene, we restrained ourselves from forcing him to Court.

The next day 10/05/2022, Barrister Babafemi Adegbite put a call across to the Commissioner of Police, pleading that his client Hon. Farah Dagogo should not be taken to Court as he claimed he was billed for a head scan. It is therefore surprising that the same lawyer and other members of his legal team, could tell the press that the Police refused to bring their client to the Court.

From the foregoing, it is clear that Hon. Dagogo’s legal team and his personal physician, for reasons best known to them, are frustrating the Police from taking the Honourable to Court.

While urging the press to always hear from both sides before forming an opinion, the Commissioner of Police hopes that the public is now better informed on this matter than before, and assures that the Police will continue to discharge their constitutional duties as expected, please.