Follow Us on Google
From Ben Dunno, Warri
National President, Committee for Defence of Human Rights, (CDHR), Comrade (Dr) Kehinde Prince Taiga, has appealed to government, its agencies and other stakeholders involved in imbroglio with management of Benin Electricity Distribution Company Plc (BEDC), to maintain status quo and allow conclusion of ongoing court proceedings in the case.
Reacting to recent invasion of the premises of BEDC in Edo state by policemen who claimed to be acting on the directive from above in a statement made available to newsmen in Warri yesterday, Dr. Taiga condemned the action in its entirety, describing it as a gross violation and abuse of the judicial process.
He maintained that there can never be any moral, logical or reasonable justifications for such an uncivilised action when the matter was still pending before a competent court of jurisdiction who has directed all the parties involved to maintain status quo in the matter pending the determination of the suit before it.
Dr. Taiga who decried the role policemen who are supposed to be law enforcers were being made to play in the senseless act, disclosed that findings conducted later revealed that it was based on the directive of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, that police acted upon in the invasion of BEDC premises.
While questioning the rationale behind decision of a serving Minister of Justice who ought to be the custodian of law to protect judiciary would be the one to give directive usurping court process, Taiga, urged all stakeholders with vested interest in BEDC, especially the government, individuals and security agents mostly Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to exercise restraint in the matter and allow judicial process till the end.
According to information circulating in the media; “At about 06.15 pm after close of work on Friday 16th September, 2022, when most staff had left the office, a battalion of about 30 fully armed policemen dressed in camouflage and normal police uniform invaded the headquarters of BEDC Electricity Plc in Benin City”.
“The invading policemen who came in about Eight (8) vehicles marked Edo state government, claimed they were acting on the directive from above to forcefully assert the mandate of one Mr. Henry Ajagbawa, as the new Managing Director of the company, an action at variance with the pronouncement of a competent court that all parties should maintain status quo till determination of the suit”.
“The unlawful invasion was notwithstanding the subsisting orders of the Federal High Court in Suit No; FHC/ABJ/CS/1113/2022 in which Mr. Ajagbawa, K. C. Akuma, Adeola Ijose, Charles Onwera and Yomi Adeyemi were restrained from parading themselves as Directors of BEDC Electricity Plc”.
“The said orders of court also restrained Fidelity Bank PLC and Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission from taking over the business and premises of BEDC”.
Continuing; “The private security men guarding the premises were threatened with forced arrest if they do not allow the entry whilst the armed policemen positioned themselves in combat formation”.
CDHR therefore uses this opportunity to warn the Edo state government to distance itself from the Issue of BEDC that is already in Court, and state Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, should be made to understand that BEDC is not an agency or appendage of the Edo state government”.
“It is on record that BEDC is not just serving in Edo but also in Delta, Ondo and Ekiti, adding that the governors of these state have shown more understanding and knowledgeable to the issues at stake”.
“We therefore urged the Edo state government to focus more on the development of their land and people rather fueling crisis in BEDC, insisting that existing Chief Executive remain the Constitutional Managing Director of BEDC until the Court rules contrary”, he stated.
