THE scheduled arraignment of 12 members of pro-Biafra group, Biafra Zionists Federation, BZF, led by Benjamin Onwuka, suffered a setback yesterday, as scores of supporters of the group who thronged the premises of the Federal High Court 2 to witness the arraignment went home disappointed following the failure of the Federal Director of Public Prosecution, FDPP, to bring them to court.

The detainees, according to their counsel, had been kept in solitary confinement at the Police Force Headquarters, Abuja, without a formal charge.

They have been held since the past four months, after they were accused of invading Enugu State Broadcasting Service, ESBS, in a failed attempt to make a broadcast.

When the case was called up, the lead counsel to the detainees, Mr. Olu Omotayo, addressed the court thus: “They were supposed to arraign in court today. Surprisingly they have refused to bring them to court and did not write to this honorable court to show reason why they have not brought the accused persons to court. In the circumstance, therefore if in the next short adjourned date we shall ask that the case be struck out because this is a ploy to frustrate the fundamental human rights case.”

Mr. C.U. Odo,  who appeared for the Inspector General of Police and the Commissioner of Police, Enugu State, had during the court sitting on Monday, told the court that the Police were ready to arraign them formally, when the detainees fielded a application for enforcement of their fundamental human rights.   He assured the court that the office of the FDPP had filed a charge against the applicants (in the civil suit) and was yesterday fixed for the arraignment.

However, the civil suit in which the detainees instituted a N10 million as “exemplary, punitive, aggravated, special and general damages against the respondents (Inspector General of Police and Commissioner of Police, Enugu State)”, was adjourned to sNovember 26, 2014.