Tunde Sholanke
An Ibadan-based lawyer,Barrister Ridwan Adekunle has warned the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba and Nigeria Police Force against further arrest, detention or harassment of his client, Oriyomi Hamzat.
His action was sequel to recent invitation by the Nigeria Police to an Ibadan-based broadcaster, Mr. Oriyomi Hamzat over the ongoing case of the alleged murder of Mr. Timothy Adegoke, a student of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Ile Ife at an hotel in Ile-Ife.
Speaking at a press in Ibadan,Adekunle,says that any further attempt to arrest, detain or harass Hamzat by the Police is illegal, unconstitutional and against the provision of the court.
Hamza,the owner of Agidigbo FM in Ibadan, Hamzat was arrested by the Force Intelligence Bureau (FIB) of Nigeria Police Force and was taken to Abuja in May last year.
Hamzat arrest was due to his persistent call for justice in the murder case of Mr. Timothy Adegoke, a student of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Ile Ife, that involve the owner of the hotel where Adegoke was killed Mr. Rahman Adedoyin and his staff, whose were currently under trial.
Hamzat was later released after spending some hours in detention.He was invited again,invited by the police last Friday.
The lawyer implored the police boss to call his men to order not to take any further attempt to arrest the broadcaster when a case he (Hamzat) instituted against the Police is still in court.
He disclosed that his client has filed a case against the IGP and 6 others over his unlawful detention and harassment and wondered why
the Police invited Hamzat again for interrogation last Friday.
He said that the case against the IGP and 6 others is still pending at the court of Appeal, hence the police should steer clear of further arrest or intimidation of his client (Hamzat).
He added:”All the parties are required to maintain status quo, once a case is in the court. We hereby implored the IGP to call his officers not to arrest Oriyomi Hamzat. They should respect the rule of law. They should respect the court. They should stop intimidating him. They should stop further harassment and intimidation.
“We write as solicitors of Oriyomi Hamzat and it is in respect of the above subject matter that we write this letter. Suit No: M/496/2022 filed by our client was dismissed on the 19th Day of January, 2023 on the ground that our client did not show any medical report and that there was no news of our client’s being dehumanised, arrested and detained on 25th day of May 2022 till 26th May 2022.
“We hereby use this medium to notify you of pendency of the appeal in suit number M/496/2022 lodged at the court of Appeal sitting in Ibadan against you are the judgement and we want to bring this development to your knowledge.
“This matter is already before the court. As such the law is that all parties should maintain statusquo until the determination of the matter and any action is a slap in the face on due process of law and a flagrant abuse of the doctrine of lis-pendens”.
