Why we arrested APC lawyers, staff —Police in Rivers

The Rivers State Police Command has given reasons why its operatives arrested the lawyers representing the 2023 governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the state, alongside some support staff of the party at a hotel where they were perfecting strategies for an appeal at the state electoral tribunal.

The state chapter of the APC had, in a statement on Saturday, accused the police of trying to suppress their case in court following the arrest of its legal team.

But in a statement on Sunday, the Command spokesperson, Grace Iringe-Koko, said contrary to the allegations by the APC, the arrest was not arbitrary as the police worked on a tip-off that some unknown lodgers at a hotel were seen carrying packages in and out of the rooms and printing suspected election materials.

In the statement entitled “Re-arrest of lawyers handling APC election petition,” Iringe-Koko said the police followed the laid down procedures.

“The attention of the Rivers State Police Command has been drawn to the news of the arrest of lawyers handling APC election matters,” the statement reads.

“On 31/3/23 at about 11.20 am, information was received that some lodgers occupying three (3) rooms in a popular hotel, were seen carrying packages in and out of the rooms, and printing what seems like INEC documents (including results.

“A video recording of the activities in one of the rooms was forwarded by the informant to the Police Commissioner. The information neither disclosed the identity of the lodgers nor whom they were working for.

“As a responsible law enforcement agency, the Police needed to act on the intelligence. Thus, on the basis of the report, the Police approached the court to obtain a search warrant.

“The warrant was dutifully executed on 1/4/23 at about 7.02 am. In the course of the search, eight persons were arrested, and several documents, laptops and printers were recovered.

“The arrested persons and exhibits were taken to the Surveillance Centre and later transferred to the State CID. An Assistant Commissioner of Police was tasked to lead the investigation team.

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“It was in the process of profiling them that it was revealed that three of the arrested persons were lawyers.

“The APC State Chairman and the party governorship candidate in the last election showed up at the station to inform the police that the lawyers were hired by the party to prepare their papers for filling at the election tribunal.

“Subsequently, the NBA President and General Secretary called the Commissioner of Police, who assured them that the lawyers would be released when they had finished making their statements.

“Accordingly, the lawyers were promptly released on self-recognizance, while the other five persons were released to a reliable surety.

“Meanwhile, since the investigating team lacked the technical competence to establish the veracity of the suspected printed fake INEC documents, the State REC was requested to send the Commission’s ICT personnel to inspect and identify the documents.

“The Police Command wishes to assure that once that is done, the most appropriate and professional thing will be done,” she added.

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