The chairman of the People’s Democratic Party in Omuma local government area of Rivers state, Mr Charles Ahamefule charged with sedition by the police has been set free by a magistrate court in Abuja.
Mr Ahamefule was arrested in Rivers state and arraigned in Abuja over an interview he granted to a Port Harcourt based radio station on the crisis in the state chapter of People’s Democratic Party.
The police said the Ahemefule interview amounted to criminal conspiracy, false statement and incitement.
Mr Ahemefule was then kept at the Kuje prison, where he spent a week before his case was heard in court.
The prosecutor, Usman Shuaibu had filed two applications in the case. The first application sought to transfer the case to another magistrate court in Abuja where he is said to be standing trial on different charges.
The defence counsel, Miss Rosmary Okotie-Ebo applied for his bail, since the case was going to be transferred but the prosecutor countered this and told the court to terminate the case.
After listening to both parties the magistrate ruled that according to international laws the rights of every person is key and an accused person is innocent until proven guilty and as such the application for termination is paramount. He therefore discharged Mr Ahamefule.
However, attempt by Mr Ahamefule to leave the court a freeman was resisted by the police, which led to a disagreement between the prosecutor and the defence.
Following the disclosure by the prosecutor that the police are yet to conclude its investigation of the accused person, magistrate Anthony Enahoro set free Ahamefule.
It took the intervention of one of the senators representing Rivers state, Senator Magnus Abbe who promised to take Mr Ahamefule to the force headquarters and stand surety for him before he was allowed to leave.
