A Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt has scheduled June 15, 2025, to hear a motion for an injunction filed by Edison Ehie, the Chief of Staff to the suspended Governor of Rivers State.
The motion, aimed at the Nigeria Police Force, the Inspector General of Police, the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, and the Department of State Services (DSS), seeks to prevent any harassment, arrest, or detention of Ehie in connection with the October 29, 2023 arson at the Rivers State House of Assembly.
Presiding judge Justice I.P.C. Igwe will also hear a similar motion on the same day, filed by Chijioke Ihunwo, former Chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, against the same set of respondents.
Both Ehie and Ihunwo are seeking five court declarations, including an order restraining security agencies from summoning or declaring them wanted regarding the alleged arson. Their legal teams argue that the police and DSS lack the legal grounds to arrest or question them, citing an earlier ruling by Justice Sika Aprioku, which remains unchallenged at the appellate level.
Ehie’s counsel also wants the court to bar authorities from compelling him to appear at the DSS or police headquarters in Abuja and to issue a perpetual injunction against any future arrests or detentions.
During Wednesday’s proceedings, counsel for the Nigerian Police, Dickson Celestine, requested time to review the case file, which he received just 24 hours earlier. Ehie’s lead counsel, Demain Okoro (SAN), did not oppose the request.
Following this, Justice Igwe adjourned the matter to June 15, setting the stage for a crucial hearing in this high-profile legal standoff.