Rights Group Accuses Rivers Police Officer Of Defying Court Order

A Port Harcourt-based human rights organization, Lawyers Watch for Justice International Initiative (LWJII), has accused a senior police officer in Rivers State of disobeying a High Court judgment and vowed to commence contempt proceedings against him and the Rivers State Police Command.

The group specifically alleged that Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Appat Abraham of the CP X-Squad, Rivers State Police Command, acted in violation of a judgment delivered by the Rivers State High Court on May 7, 2026, in favour of Mr. Loveday Johnson.

Speaking with journalists, a lawyer with LWJII, Barrister Woy Idigholimi, said the judgment was delivered by Justice Sylvester S. Popnen in Suit No. PHC/1108/FHR/2024.

According to him, the court ordered the removal of a lien placed on Johnson’s bank account and restrained the police from further arresting, detaining, or harassing him in connection with the matter before the court.

Idigholimi explained that the suit was instituted by Johnson against the Commissioner of Police, Rivers State Command, CSP Appat Abraham, and SP Fidelity Uche Agomou as respondents.

He noted that the respondents were represented in court by F.D. Sokari, a lawyer in the Legal Department of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Port Harcourt, while the fourth respondent, a civilian, was also represented by counsel.

“Both counsels were present in court on May 7, 2026, when judgment was delivered in favour of the applicant, Mr. Loveday Johnson,” he said.

The lawyer described Johnson’s alleged re-arrest on June 1, 2026, as a direct violation of the court’s order and an affront to the rule of law.

“The actions of the police in re-arresting the applicant amount to a direct affront to the rule of law. It is contemptuous and represents a flagrant disregard for the judgment of the High Court of Rivers State,” Idigholimi said.

He further alleged that the action constituted an abuse of office and undermined public confidence in law enforcement institutions.

“A police officer who is expected to be a custodian of the law should not be allowed to violate the very law he or she has sworn to uphold,” he added.

The human rights group said it would immediately initiate contempt proceedings against CSP Abraham and the Rivers State Police Command while pursuing other lawful measures to seek redress for what it described as violations of Johnson’s fundamental rights.

Johnson had filed the fundamental rights enforcement suit in 2024, seeking protection of his constitutional rights to personal liberty, freedom of movement, and the dignity of his person.

However, the Rivers State Police Command denied knowledge of the court judgment.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Agabe Blessing Kaborlo, who spoke on behalf of the command after making inquiries from the unit concerned, said the police had not been served with any judgment relating to the matter.

According to the police spokesperson, Johnson had also failed to provide the unit with a copy of the judgment he claimed was delivered in his favour.

“The unit has stated that the applicant, Loveday Johnson, has not made available the judgment he claimed was delivered in his favour, and the police have not been served with any such court judgment,” the police spokesperson said.