We’re not aware of any court order on Ralph Uwazuruike - Nigeria police

macfranc007 June 21, 2018 Nigeria News today & Breaking news ▷ Read Naija news 24/7 Jerrywright Ukwu

- A High Court in Owerri recently sentenced Chief Ralph Uwazuruike to prison custody

- According to the court order, the leader of Biafra Independence Movement (BIM), will be in prison custody for one month for contempt of court

- The Imo state police command however say they have not received any such order

The Imo state police command says it has not received any order of court, directing it to trail, arrest and handover the leader of Biafra Independence Movement (BIM), Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, to prison, to serve his one month imprisonment.

The command's spokesman, Andrew Enwerem, a superintendent of police, made the position of the command known in a telephone interview with Vanguard yesterday.

He said: “I am not aware that the command has received any order of court, asking us (police) to trail and arrest Chief Ralph Uwazuruike. We have only read about the issue in the newspapers and it will not be proper to act based on what we read from the dailies.”

He however promised that “as a law enforcement agency, the police will appropriately carry out the order of court when and if we receive it.”

On his part, Uwazuruike’s counsel, Mr. Emmanuel Chukwuka, was of the view that the order to jail his client was “an abuse of court process,” especially as they had since appealed against the hearing of the suit.

He also recalled that the presiding judge, Justice Kemakolam Ojiako, insisted on going ahead with the matter.

“While Justice Ojiako ruled that the substantive proceeding is adjourned to July 10, 2018, to await the outcome of the motion for stay of proceedings, hearing on the appeal suit comes up October 2, 2018,” Chukwuka said.

Chief Uwazuruike had in 2013, dragged Chigozie Iheama to court, over a land deal. Justice Ojiako sentenced the motion on notice, filed July 6, 2017, which urged the court to commit Uwazuruike to prison for disobeying the order of court, handed down April 2, 2014, and having taken cognisance of the unchallenged oral evidence of the first defendant, Chigozie Iheama, as well as all the exhibits tendered during the proceedings.

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The judge was not particularly happy that “Uwazuruike consistently absented himself from court, even as he is aware that every contempt proceeding is considered as a quasi-criminal matter.”

The court order, which was served on the police last Thursday, June 14, signed by J.C. Okoro Esq. and dated Wednesday, June 6, indicates that Uwazuruike will be in prison custody for one month for contempt of court.

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