Port Harcourt — A Rivers High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, has discharged and acquitted the immediate past member of the House of Representatives, Dr. Farah Dagogo of criminal charges filed against him by the state government.
Dr Dagogo was arrested on April 28, 2022 in Port Harcourt, the day he appeared for screening as a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant.
He was arrested after being declared wanted by the then Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, who accused him of sponsoring thugs and cultists to disrupt the PDP screening exercise for National Assembly and State Assembly aspirants.
But Dagogo denied the allegation, maintaining that it was all trump up charges to prevent him from contesting the governorship position.
He was subsequently bailed in June 2022, after earlier spending 63 days in prison custody.
The former federal lawmaker was facing trial in suit no PHC/1440/CR/2022, as filed by the state.
In his ruling on the matter yesterday, Justice Chinwendu Nworgu of the State High Court expressed dismay that the prosecution was not diligent and thereby discharged and acquitted the former governorship aspirant of all charges.
Speaking immediately after the ruling, counsel to the former federal lawmaker, Cosmas Enweluzo (a Senior Advocate of Nigeria), explained that the ruling has freed Dr Dagogo of all encumbrances as the case cannot be resurrected in any court of law in the country.
"The matter has just ended. The court dismissed the charge, discharged and acquitted the defendant which is Hon. Doctor Farah Dagogo. And this is premise on the fact that there is absolute lack of diligent prosecution.
"The prosecution has lost its steam and so because of that, the court cannot forever keep an accused or defendant perpetually attending the court, restraining his movements and stopping him from using his precious time and subjecting everything about him to abysmal waste.
"Any further action taken will be seen as double jeopardy because of the fact that decision has been taken in this matter. In order words, the decision has rested the case fully and finally, not to resurrect again," Enweluzo explained.
