Alex Enumah in Abuja
Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court yesterday ordered the Inspector-General of Police (IG), Mr. Mohammed Adamu, to produce the candidate of the Liberation Movement in the November 16, 2020 governorship election in Bayelsa State, Mr. Vijah Opuama, in court.
The order, which is the fourth in a row, was sequel to the refusal of the IG to obey three previous orders.
Some policemen in the IG’s monitoring unit had arrested Opuama on August 15 at the state Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja while waiting for judgment to be delivered in his petition against the November 16 governorship election.
However, since his arrest last month, the police were yet to file any charge against him or arraign him before a competent court of law.
Justice Taiwo had on August 31, 2020, while ruling in an exparte application filed on behalf of the detainee, ordered the police to produce the applicant in court on September 2, but the order was not obeyed by the IG.
On September 2, the judge made a similar order to produce Opuama in court on September 7, which the police again declined to obey.
In a short ruling yesterday, Justice Taiwo however, threatened to summon the IG if he fails to comply with his latest order.
“The court made an order that the applicant be produced in this court. That order must be obeyed.
“I shall, therefore, make an order that the applicant must be produced on September 9, 2020.
“The applicant must be produced in court on that day unfailing,” he added.
The judge subsequently adjourned to September 9 for the hearing of Opuama’s bail application.
