A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant in Rivers State, Farah Dagogo, has been remanded in police custody, following an order made by a Magistrate Court sitting in Port Harcourt, presided over by Chief Magistrate Amadi Nna.
The order was given sequel to the two-count charge of conspiracy to felony and cultism against the defendant.
The court referenced a new rule which does not empower Magistrate Court to hear a case of cultism.
Consequently, the matter was adjourned till 9th of May, for possible arraignment and consideration of bail.
The police had arrested Dagogo on the order of Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers.
Wike had asked the police to arrest the lawmaker representing Degema/Bonny Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives over activities related to cultism.
He was arrested by a team of police officers at about 6:30pm on Thursday when he went for his screening at the south-south zonal office of the PDP in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
Journalists were, however, barred by the fully armed security operatives from covering the arrest of the governorship aspirant who is a beneficiary of the Federal Government’s amnesty granted to militants in the Niger Delta.
In calling for his arrest, Wike had accused Dagogo of hiring cultists to attack the PDP secretariat in Port Harcourt.
According to him, the cultists allegedly hired by the lawmaker stormed the PDP secretariat and disrupted the screening of aspirants for various elective positions.