A High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State Capital, has discharged and acquitted the immediate past member of the House of Representatives, Dr Farah Dagogo for allegedly sponsoring terror and using thugs to disrupt the screening exercise of the People’s Democratic Party PDP for National Assembly and State Assembly aspirants.

Dagogo, who had declared interest in contesting for the governorship position, was declared wanted by then Governor Nyesom Wike, arrested by the police, detained for over two months and was unable to contest for any elective position in the 2023 general election.

The court, presided by Justice Chinwendu Nworgu in suit no PHC/1440/CR/2022- ‘The State v Hon Farah Dagogo’, dismissed the criminal charges proffered against Dagogo by the state government, declaring that the prosecution was not diligent in the prosecution of Dagogo.

After the ruling, the lead counsel to the former lawmaker, Sir Cosmas Enweluzo, SAN, explained that by the ruling, Dagogo had been freed, adding that the case cannot be resurrected in any court of law in the country.

Enweluzo said: “The matter has just ended. The court dismissed the charge and discharged and acquitted the defendant which is Hon. Doctor Farah Dagogo. And this is premise on the fact that there is an 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.

” As a result of that, the court, after its consideration, stuck out the charge and then discharged and acquitted the defendant. That means that no means or form of other charges can be brought up in any court of law against Hon. Doctor Farah Dagogo as a result of this charge.

”Any further action taken will be seen as double jeopardy because of the fact that a decision has been taken in this matter. In order words, the decision has rested the case fully and finally, not to resurrect again.” (New Telegraph)

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