Rivers Court Restrains Police From Arresting PAMO University VC Smith Jaja

The Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has barred the Inspector-General of Police and the Commissioner of Police from arresting, detaining or forcing the Vice-Chancellor of PAMO University of Medical Sciences, Professor Smith Jaja, to appear before the Rivers State House of Assembly.

Justice F. Onyiri granted the interim injunction on Wednesday in Suit No. PHC/3692/FHR/2026 filed by Jaja against the Rivers State House of Assembly, its Speaker, the Inspector-General of Police and the Rivers State Commissioner of Police.

The court order followed the Assembly’s resolution to issue a warrant for Jaja’s arrest over his alleged repeated failure to appear before an ad hoc committee investigating scholarship funds allocated to PAMO University by the Rivers State Government.

In the ruling, Justice Onyiri restrained the police and other security agencies from implementing the Assembly’s resolution directing them to arrest, apprehend, detain or forcefully compel the university Vice-Chancellor to appear before the committee or any other committee constituted by the House.

“IT IS ORDERED that an interim injunction is hereby made restraining the 4th to 5th Respondents, their officers, servants and any other security agents from carrying out or giving effect to the resolution of the 1st – 3rd Respondents directing to arrest, apprehend, detain or forcefully compel the applicant to appear before the ad hoc committee or any committee set up by the 1st to 3rd Respondents pending the hearing and determination of the substantive motion,” the court ruled.

Justice Onyiri said the order would remain in effect pending the hearing and determination of Jaja’s substantive application seeking enforcement of his fundamental rights.

The court also granted the Vice-Chancellor permission to serve the originating processes and court orders on the Rivers State House of Assembly and its Speaker through substituted means.

The approved methods include leaving the documents at the main gate of the Rivers State House of Assembly at Assembly Quarters on Aba Road, Port Harcourt, or publishing the documents in a newspaper.

Jaja was also granted leave to serve the Inspector-General of Police and the Rivers State Commissioner of Police through the headquarters of the Rivers State Police Command on Moscow Road, Port Harcourt.

The matter has been adjourned until October 9, 2026, for hearing of the substantive application seeking enforcement of Jaja’s fundamental rights.

Why the Rivers Assembly ordered Jaja’s arrest

The legal action followed a resolution of the Rivers State House of Assembly arising from the report of its Ad Hoc Committee investigating scholarship funds disbursed to PAMO University.

PulseNets learnt that the committee, in a report presented to the House by its Chairman, Maol, accused PAMO University of receiving more than N29 billion from the Rivers State Government without corresponding student enrolment under the scholarship programme.

Following the report, the Assembly resolved to issue a warrant of arrest for Jaja after he allegedly failed to respond to several invitations to appear before the committee and provide explanations concerning the expenditure of the funds.

The House also recommended that the Rivers State Government establish a committee to recover all unaccounted funds allegedly held by PAMO University and return the money to the State Consolidated Revenue Account.

According to a statement issued by Martins Wachukwu, Special Assistant on Media to the Speaker, the Assembly’s investigation was based on documents obtained from the Ministries of Finance and Education as well as the Office of the Accountant-General.

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Speaker Martin Amaewhule said the scholarship initiative was well-intentioned but criticised the manner in which it was implemented.

Amaewhule said documents obtained from the relevant government institutions contained discrepancies in the figures and showed that only about N5 billion out of the more than N29 billion released to PAMO University had been accounted for.

The Rivers State House of Assembly had earlier rejected the N6 billion provision for scholarships for Rivers indigenes studying at PAMO University in the state’s 2026 budget.