The prosecution of Mr Farah Dagogo for allegedly sponsoring cultism in Rivers State has taken a new twist, as a State High Court on Friday remanded him in a correctional centre.
He was remanded by the court on Friday, a day after a Federal High Court on Thursday ordered that he should be released on bail.
Dagogo is the lawmaker representing Degema-Bonny Federal Constituency of Rivers in the House of Representatives, and a governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He was reported to have been hand-lifted into the courtroom from a police vehicle during his arraignment before Justice Chiwendu Nwogu.
Justice Nwogu ordered that the governorship aspirant be remanded in a correctional centre because he appeared too weak to take his plea.
In his reaction, Dagogo’s media aide, Ibrahim Lawal, described the lawmaker’s remand as a pre-determine action by the Rivers State government and the police to disobey the order of the Federal High Court which initially granted him bail.
Dagogo was arrested on April 28 in Port Harcourt at the venue of the PDP governorship screening for the South-South states.
His arrest came after Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers declared him wanted for reportedly recruiting cultists to attack the state party secretariat during the screening of National and State Assembly aspirants.
The lawmaker was first arraigned before Justice A. I Amadi-Nna of a Magistrate Court on April 29, but the case was adjourned till May 9 for the charge to be amended following arguments that a Magistrate Court cannot hear matters relating to cultism.
On the adjourned date, the case was moved to the State High Court, but Dagogo could not be produced in court on the ground that he was being managed for some health challenges.
While the case was later adjourned till Monday next week for mention at the Rivers State High Court, the matter was brought forward for Friday.
