The Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General of Akwa Ibom state, Barr. Uwemedimo Nwoko, has called for the immediate resignation of the state’s Commissioner of Police, Imohimi Edgal, for interfering with judicial process and violating court order.
Speaking on Wednesday at a press conference in Uyo, Nwoko said the CP disregarded a court order which directed that the accused, Leo Ekpenyong, be remanded in the Uyo Correctional Service Centre till March 23, the next adjourned date for his hearing.
The Attorney General, who threatened that the Police Commissioner would also face immediate prosecution for flouting court directives, claimed that the CP aided the release of the said suspect, Leo Ekpenyong.
He said the court had ordered that Ekpenyong be remanded in the Uyo Correctional Centre for criminal libel, false publication and terrorism after medical treatment in any government hospital.
Nwoko explained that he was in contact with the CP, who assured him that the court order would be carried out, adding that he was shocked later to learn that the accused has been released.
He stated that in a letter, the CP notified the Magistrate that he has released the accused person unconditionally.
“The Director of Public Prosecutions and the O/C Legal of the Police with the Court officials took the accused person to the Police Hospital, Uyo for medical attention.
“While the team was at the Police clinic, Imohimi called the O/C Legal and ordered him to bring the accused person to his office.
“When the accused person was taken to his office, the commissioner shockingly apologized to the accused person and ordered that all the phones of the accused person should be returned to him.
“The commissioner then set aside the opinion of the first Doctor that examined the accused person which concluded that there was nothing wrong with the accused person and that he should be taken to the Correctional facility.
“The Police commissioner on his own set up another medical team to re-examine the accused person and give him a report. Meanwhile, Imohimi gave total liberty and freedom to the accused person. He returned his five handsets to him and he was allowed to parade the Police headquarters freely from one place to the other.
“The Police commissioner then, in violent violation of the Order of Court released the accused person to go home instead of sending him to the Correctional Facility as ordered by the Court.
“The Commissioner of Police in a letter addressed to the Magistrate said he released the accused for medical treatment in Abuja ‘as only the living can face trial’.
“We, in the Ministry of Justice, say unequivocally that this conduct by the State Commissioner of Police is not only irresponsible and intolerable, it is equally morally reprehensible and legally culpable. This action is utterly contemptuous of the Court and is calculated to undermine the authority of the Court in the state.
“He interferred with a court order and I have no business to understand it. If there was anything wrong with the court order, he should have gone back to the court,” he stated.
When contacted through a text message, the CP did not reply but when our reporter called his mobile line, the person who picked the call said the CP was in a meeting.
“He is still in a meeting, wait until he finishes, he cannot interrupt the meeting,” he said.
