From Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
A Federal High Court sitting in Owerri, Imo State, yesterday issued a bench warrant for the arrest of members of the caretaker committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, led by Chief Marcelinus Nlemigbo.
Justice M.T. Salihu ordered the Imo State commissioner of police to apprehend members of the caretaker committee, which included Nzekwe Ugochukwu, Lady Love Ineh, Canice Nwachukwu, Josephine Nnorom, Paul Para, Linus Ineoha and Nicholas Osuagwu, for assaulting a bailiff, Nwawi Ogugua, who came to serve court proceedings on members of the committee in their office.
Salihu ordered that all the members of the committee, except Enyinnaya Onuegbu, who was in court, should be arrested and brought before the court on January 31 to show cause why they should not be committed to prison for attacking an officer of the court who was carrying out his legitimate duties.
It was alleged that the bailiff, who had gone to serve court summons on the caretaker committee members, was beaten up by thugs on the orders of the chairman of the committee.
The said matter, FHC/OW/CS/01/2019, was instituted by the Imo State APC chairman, Mr. Daniel Nwafor, challenging the dissolution of the state executive by the national leadership of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, with Oshiomhole, the Inspector-General of Police and the nine members of the committee as respondents.
Meanwhile, the bailiff said that he escaped death by the whiskers after thugs attacked him at the factional APC office, where he went to serve court summons on the caretaker committee members.
“When I got to the office, along Okigwe Road, the moment I introduced myself and why I was there, some youths were asked to throw me out. It was then that they pounced on me and started beating me like a common criminal. They said they would kill me and nothing would happen,” the bailiff said.
When contacted on the matter, Nlemigbo promised to reach our reporter but he failed to reply at the time of this report.