By okey alozie
Over 26 suspects were yesterday arraigned in Owerri Magistrate Court 1 for allegedly conducting themselves in a manner likely to cause breach of peace by disobeying a court order restraining the parties in Suit No How/51/2014 from involving a construction site in Owerri.
The workers comprising males and females who were arrested few days ago at the premises given two count charges of causing a breach of peace and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 517A of the criminal Code Cap “C38” laws of the Federal of Nigeria as applicable to Imo state as well as disobeying a court order restraining the parties in Suit between Emmanuel Chukwu and Quest Resources Consult Ltd & 3 others by entering on a land located with in New Owerri being workers of Quest Resources Consult Limited and thereby committed an offence punishable under law.
Mr Emmanuel Chukwu had earlier approached a high court presided over by Justice Duruoha, in a suit No HOW/51/2014 praying that the court should grant him an injunction restraining Quest Resource Limited, Cunduma Usman, Peter Suleiman and Ernest Nwoha, their agents or any representative from further work on a high rise project in the area.
Justice Duruoha had on 1st of April granted an order restraining the defendants from trespassing in the same land until after the determination of the main suit but in disobedience to the order of the curt, the defendants were alleged to have mobilized workers back to site to continue their job on the land. When police got wind of their action through the counsel to the plaintiff Mr Emmanuel Chukwu’s the CP then mobilized his men to arrest all the suspects of the land matter and they were arraigned before the magistrate court for contempt of court.
It would be recalled that Trumpeta had in one of the editions raised questions about the ownership of the ten storey building located directly behind government owned Heroes’ Square premises.
The members of Imo House of Assembly during plenary had raised the issue prompting the set up of a committee to verity the ownership. A picture resemblance of the building was however observed in one of the publications advertising achievements of a state govt.