The Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt has issued an interim injunction restraining the Inspector-General of Police and the Commissioner of Police in the state from arresting, detaining, or compelling Professor Smith Jaja to appear before the Rivers State House of Assembly. This order was given in a suit filed by Jaja against the Rivers State House of Assembly, its Speaker, the IGP, and the Rivers State Commissioner of Police.
The court's decision comes after the Rivers State House of Assembly resolved to issue a warrant for Jaja's arrest due to his repeated failure to appear before an ad hoc committee investigating scholarship funds released to PAMO University by the state government. The committee had accused the university of receiving over N29 billion without corresponding student enrollment under the scholarship scheme.
Justice F. Onyiri, who issued the interim injunction, stated that the restriction would remain in force pending the hearing and determination of the substantive application filed by Jaja for the enforcement of his fundamental rights. The court also granted Jaja leave to serve the originating processes and court orders on the House of Assembly and its Speaker by substituted means.
The court granted Jaja leave to serve the IGP and the state Commissioner of Police through the Rivers State Police Command headquarters. The matter has been adjourned until October 9, 2026, for the hearing of the substantive application for the enforcement of Jaja's fundamental rights. The legal action followed a resolution of the Rivers Assembly arising from the report of its Ad Hoc Committee investigating scholarship funds disbursed to PAMO University.
The Rivers Assembly's investigation was based on documents obtained from the Ministries of Finance and Education and the Office of the Accountant-General. Speaker Martin Amaewhule stated that the scholarship program was well-intentioned but its implementation was flawed, with documents showing that only about N5 billion out of the over N29 billion released to PAMO University had been accounted for.
The House had earlier rejected the N6 billion allocated for scholarships to Rivers indigenes studying at PAMO University in the state's 2026 budget. The Assembly's committee recommended that the state government establish a committee to recover all unaccounted funds allegedly in the possession of PAMO University and return the money to the State Consolidated Revenue Account.
Key points
- The court has restrained the police from arresting PAMO University's Vice-Chancellor, Professor Smith Jaja.
- The rift between Jaja and the Rivers Assembly is over scholarship funds released to PAMO University.
- The Assembly's investigation revealed that only N5 billion out of N29 billion released to PAMO University had been accounted for.
