Chidi Lloyd
Also Friday, a High Court sitting in Port Harcourt once again refused to grant the detained Leader of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Chidi Lloyd, bail despite attempts by his counsel, Beluolisa Nwofor (SAN), to secure his release in absentia.
Lloyd, who was arraigned last Wednesday for the attempted murder of his colleague, Michael Chindah, was again remanded in police custody Friday following disagreement between the police and the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Worgu Boms, over who should prosecute the lawmaker.
Counsel to Lloyd, Nwofor, on Thursday secured an exparte-motion from the court to abridge the date of the matter from Tuesday, August 6 to Friday, August 2 to enable the detained house leader take his plea.
When the matter came up Friday at about 3.30 pm, Nwofor said the police was yet to serve any counter-affidavit against the application, having been served the notice since July 31. He further submitted that though the police failed to produce Lloyd in court, “bail could still be granted even when someone was in custody.”
Ruling on the matter, the trial judge, Justice Letam Nyordee, said the intention of the bail application was contrary to the views expressed by the accused/applicant counsel, saying that criminal procedure requires that, interlocutory bail application can only be taken when the accused person had been arraigned and plea taken.
He stated that the essence of the exparte-motion that was granted on Thursday was for the police to arraign him Friday, and since the police failed, the application could not be heard.
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