From Tony John, Port Harcourt

Members of the 13-member disbursement committee of Ejamah-Ebubu, Eleme Local Government Area(LGA) of Rivers State (aka C-13), including its 80-year-old chairman, Augustus Nyonwi, were allegedly subjected to intensive interrogation that lasted for several hours by the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) recently.

Daily Sun gathered that the interrogation, which started at about 12 noon, ended at about 5pm at the weekend, when the people were allowed to go home.

However, the committee members said it was better than being dragged to Abuja as has been the practice in the past. They thanked the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Usman Baba, for getting the officers to obey court judgement in a case bordering on disbursement of oil spill compensation funds, which they handled.

The members also expressed gratitude to the state Commissioner of Police (CP), Effiong Okon, for his interventions which they suspected was the reason they were not arrested and detained by the police after their invitation at the SCID, in Port Harcourt.

The C-13, who spoke through their lawyer, Ayodele Salami, expressed satisfaction in the outcome of the police invitation to his clients, saying that it was within the provisions of the court order in an ongoing court case on the matter.

Salami said: “I can confirm to you that the meeting between my clients C-13 and the police went very well. My clients said statements were taken from them and after, they were asked to go home and come back on a date in January.

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“I am grateful to the IGP and the CP here in the state for their quick intervention, after the media outburst last time. What transpired yesterday was contrary to what had been going on.

“So, we’re happy that the police hierarchy has done a swift and great job here.

“Again, contrary to the feelers we got before the C-13 got to the police, some officers from Force headquarters in Abuja were already around to take them down to Abuja as usual. It was confirmed, again, that there was no such thing.

“What is happening now is what the court judgement said that the police should do, invite the men from time to time to get statements from them to facilitate their investigations and let them go afterwards. But, they were not doing it until the step we took recently to involve the media.

“Even in the ongoing case, there is also a court order restraining the police from harassing,  arresting and detaining them, either in the state or taking them outside the state, in respect of the case until judgement is delivered.”

The C-13 spokesman reiterated the usual cooperation of the members with the police and the court throughout the matter, to ensure smooth and successful resolution of all issues to the satisfaction of parties involved.

He noted the appeal by the members that the matter should be handled by the police in the state, adding that journeying to Abuja from time to time was too hectic for them, particularly the community’s paramount ruler, Augustus Nyonwii, who is 80 years of age, and chairman of the disbursement committee.