Nigerian Police Blindfold Rivers House Leader On Arrival In Troubled South-south State

Majority Leader of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Chidi Lloyd, was blindfolded by the police on arrival at the Port Harcourt International Airport Friday, before being taken to the Police Command for interrogation.

The Guardian gathered that Lloyd, who had on Tuesday July 23 reported to Police Headquarters in Abuja following an earlier invitation by the police, was flown back to Port Harcourt yesterday morning amidst tight security. 

On arrival, the police immediately blindfolded him and whisked him away to the Police Headquarters on Moscow Road, Port Harcourt for further interrogation.

Counsel to Lloyd, Emenike Ebete told reporters that he had anticipated that the Police would arraign Lloyd in court to enable him apply for his bail but after several hours of delay, the police legal team failed to take him to court. 

He accused the police of deliberating frustrating Lloyd’s legal team effort to secure his release.

“The Police dehumanized him by blind-folding him from the airport to the Police Headquarters. Worst still, he was supposed to be arraigned in court today (yesterday) but the police also frustrated his arraignment knowing too well that it was Friday. 

“The pplice know that if he goes to court, he will get bail and so they just want to keep him till Monday in a bid to punish him,” he said.

A top police officer who pleaded anonymity, said Lloyd was actually blindfolded to prevent people from recognizing him as he was being taken from the airport to Police Headquarters. The source did not however confirm if he was physically assaulted.

Some of the pro-Governor Chibuike Amaechi members of the House of Assembly who had anticipated that Lloyd would be arraigned by the police, waited in vain at the state judicial complex Friday.