Police in Rivers confiscate electoral fraud evidence, free lawyers as NBA, Falana, SERAP express concern

The police authorities in Rivers state on Saturday arrested lawyers preparing election petitions for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

This appears to be a plot to frustrate the filing of election petitions against the alleged fraud in the just-concluded elections as the police also seized all their documents containing the evidence of the alleged fraud in the elections in an apparent bid to stop the lawyers from appearing before the election petition tribunal on Monday.

The arrested persons were three lawyers and five support staff.   The lawyers include Aondo Jerry, Dr. Nelson U. Sobere, and Odum C. Eyiba.

The lawyers were arrested in the early morning Saturday when the officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force unlawfully and illegally arrested the lawyers and the support staff of Tuduru Ede (SAN) &Co, who were preparing Election Petitions for APC candidates who INEC claimed lost the elections of March 18, 2023, to the Rivers State House of Assembly.

But the Rivers State chapter of the APC said the lawyers have been released hours later following the public outrage that followed the action of the police.

The spokesperson of the APC in Rivers State, Darlington Nwauju, confirmed that “the lawyers were granted bail on self-recognition while members of the support staff were granted conditional bail.”

He alleged that the election documents and the laptops with which the lawyers were working were still being detained at press time. The APC governorship candidate in the state, Mr. Tonye Cole, has sent a Save Our Soul (SOS) message to President Muhammadu Buhari regarding the arrest of evidence of electoral fraud in the state.

Cole wrote: “Today in the morning hours the police in Rivers State arrested three lawyers that are standing for APC in Rivers State with regards to the just-concluded governorship election.

“Just this night after much effort by the leaders of the party, the police released the three lawyers but are still withholding all the electoral documents collected from the lawyers.”

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has vowed to take legal action against the police officers who arrested the lawyers, a human rights activist, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN) has also condemned the action of the police officers, whose motive was to prevent the lawyers from appearing before the election tribunal on Monday.

Also, a civil advocacy group, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Buhari to direct the police to release the lawyers.

The NBA President, Yakubu Maikyau (SAN), in a statement issued on Saturday vowed that the body would move against the police officers that were behind the arrest of the lawyers.

Maikyau stated that it was unfortunate and disturbing for police officers to be used as tools for contravening the rule of law.
He said though the police authorities had assured him of their release, NBA would ensure that those involved in the lawyers’ arrest would face the law.

The statement partly read: “The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) strongly condemns such unwarranted harassment of lawyers in the lawful performance of their professional duties to their clients.

“Situations, where the instrumentality of the police is apparently being used to harass and intimidate lawyers, is a direct affront to the rule of law and a threat to our democracy; it is an invitation to anarchy and chaos, as people would rather resort to self-help than approach the civil and constitutional means provided for the resolution of disputes.

“I reached out to the Inspector General of Police (IG) and the Commissioner of Police (CP) Rivers State, and I have been assured of the release of our colleagues.

“We shall also take up the matter to ensure that any person(s) including police officers, who may be found complicit in the events leading to the arrest of our colleagues, is sanctioned for any possible abuse of office.
“I will continue to talk with Mr. Tuduru (SAN) and shall keep you posted on further developments in this matter.”

Falana said, “I have just confirmed that the police will drag the detained lawyers to a magistrate court on Monday, April 3, and charge them with the forgery of electoral materials.

“The primary purpose of the latest display of naked power is to frustrate the opposition from filing an election petition against the rigging and violence that marred the March 18 governorship election in Rivers State.

“Since there is no legal justification for the arrest and detention of the lawyers, we are compelled to call on the inspector-general of police to order their immediate release.

“The Rivers State Commissioner of Police should publicly apologize to the lawyers. Those who claim to have won the governorship election in Rivers must be prepared to defend their mandate without any intimidation or harassment of lawyers and witnesses”.

SERAP on its part, urged President Buhari to direct the police to release the detained lawyers.

“President Buhari must instruct the police to immediately release three lawyers who are reportedly arrested while filing processes to challenge the just concluded governorship election in Rivers State. This impunity must STOP,” SERAP tweeted.