ODAHIEKWU OGUNDE, Yenagoa
Hoodlums numbering over 30 have disrupted the proceedings of Bayelsa State High Court.
The Court sitting in Yenagoa was to hear a suit on the disputed ward, local government and state congresses of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the court.
An official of the court, the claimant, Alex Blackson and his brother, Osom Blackson were injured during the stampede and violence inside the court.
The presiding Judge, Justice Nayai Aganaba, was stoned with plastic bottles by the hoodlums but was taken to safety by his police orderly.
It was gathered that most of the lawyers in court were also chased out, while those that came with the claimant were brutalised.
It was also gathered that the hoodlums might have been provoked by the alleged insistence of the Presiding Judge, Justice Aganaba to hear the suit filed by Alex Blackson.
The suit sought the order of the court to set aside the disputed congresses of the APC held last year.
It was equally gathered that there was shooting at the State Secretariat of the APC following the attempts by riot policemen to arrest some chieftains of the party overt their alleged involvement in the court invasion. Two persons were reportedly arrested.
But the Chairman of APC in the state, Dr Dennis Otiotio- Odoni distanced members of the APC from the fracas in the court, he alleged that those involved were suspected supporters of the opposition who were in the courtroom and hanging around the premises.
He expressed confidence in the ability of the Judiciary to adjudicate in matters concerning the party.
He urged the police to fish out those behind the invasion of the court.
Otiotio said: “APC has nothing to do with the invasion of the court. We are a law abiding party and we have faith in the Judiciary over cases before it.
“We condemned the act in its entirety and called on the Police to fish those behind it out.”
Counsel for the claimant, P.J. Fawei, who confirmed the incident, described the invasion as pathetic and show of disrespect to the santity of the court.
He said: “It was shocking to me. I had noticed that on resumption of court proceedings at about 3pm, there were unusual large numbers of people around the court premises.
“When they attacked, they stabbed a court worker in the hand and beat up the claimant and his brother.”
A chieftain of the party and brother to the claimant, Osom Blackson, told newsmen that those that tore his shirt and dealt him several blows were APC members and known to him.
“When I saw the boys, I never knew the plan was to disrupt the court and attack us.”
Another chieftain of the party, Hon. Sunday Frank Oputu, condemned the attack, describing it as barbaric and an open show of disrespect to the symbol of the law.
Frank-Oputu argued that the APC national leadership should impose sanctions against the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, over alleged complicity in the attack.
“The party should sanction Sylva for encouraging the hoodlums to attack the court and defile the temple of justice,” he said.
