Farah Dagogo
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Published By: Paul Dada
By Okafor Ofiebor/Port-Harcourt
A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port-Harcourt has acquitted and discharged Farah Dagogo, a former governorship aspirant, of the criminal charges preferred against him.
Dagogo a former member of the House of Representatives, who represented Degema/Bonny Federal Constituency in the ninth Assembly, was on April 28, 2022 arrested in Port-Harcourt for allegedly sponsoring thugs and cultists to disrupt the PDP screening exercise for National Assembly and State Assembly aspirants.
Prior to his arrest he had been declared wanted by the Rivers State government under the former state governor, Nyesom Wike.
Dagogo said the allegation against him was made up in order to prevent him from contesting for the governorship in the 2023 general elections. But he spent 63 days in detention at the Port-Harcourt Correctional Centre before being released on bail.
When the case resumed in court on Monday, the trial judge, Justice Chinwendu Nworgu dismissed for lack of diligent prosecution.
Lead counsel to Farah Dagogo, Cosmas Enweluzo, SAN, spoke to newsmen after the court session. He said the ruling had freed Farah Dagogo of all encumbrances as the case could not be resurrected in any court of law in the country.
He said: “The court dismissing the charge, and discharging and acquitting the defendant means the matter has just ended. And this is premised on the fact that there is absolute lack of diligent prosecution.
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“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, struck out the charges 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.
“Any further action taken will be seen as double jeopardy because of the fact that decision has been taken in this matter.
“In other words, the decision has rested the case fully and finally, not to resurrect again”.