The Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has restrained the Inspector-General of Police and the Commissioner of Police in the state from arresting, detaining or compelling the Vice-Chancellor of PAMO University of Medical Sciences, Professor Smith Jaja, to appear before the Rivers State House of Assembly.
Justice F. Onyiri issued the interim injunction on Wednesday in Suit No. PHC/3692/FHR/2026 filed by Jaja against the Rivers State House of Assembly, its Speaker, the IGP and the Rivers State Commissioner of Police.
Politics Nigeria reports that the order came days after the state House of Assembly resolved to issue a warrant for the arrest of the university’s Vice-Chancellor over his repeated failure to appear before an ad hoc committee investigating scholarship funds released to PAMO University by the state government.
In the ruling, the court restrained the police and other security agents from carrying out or giving effect to the resolution of the House and its committee directing them to arrest, apprehend, detain or forcefully compel Jaja to appear before the committee or any other committee constituted by the Assembly.
“IT IS ORDERED that an interim injunction is hereby made restraining the 4th to 5th Respondents, their officers, servants and any other security agents from carrying out or giving effect to the resolution of the 1st – 3rd Respondents directing to arrest, apprehend, detain or forcefully compel the applicant to appear before the ad hoc committee or any committee set up by the 1st to 3rd Respondents pending the hearing and determination of the substantive motion,” the court ruled.
Justice Onyiri said the restriction would remain in force pending the hearing and determination of the substantive application filed by the Vice-Chancellor 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.
These include dropping the documents at the main gate of the Rivers State House of Assembly at Assembly Quarters on Aba Road, Port Harcourt, or publishing them in a newspaper.
This was also as the court further granted the applicant leave to serve the IGP and the state Commissioner of Police through the Rivers State Police Command headquarters on Moscow Road, Port Harcourt.
The matter was adjourned until October 9, 2026, for hearing of the substantive application for the enforcement of Jaja’s fundamental rights.
Politics Nigeria understands that 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 committee’s report, presented to the House by its Chairman, Maol, accused the university of receiving more than N29bn from the state government without corresponding student enrolment under the scholarship scheme.
The House subsequently resolved to issue a warrant of arrest for Jaja after he allegedly failed to honour several invitations to appear before the committee and explain how the funds were expended.
It also 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.
According to a statement issued by the Special Assistant on Media to the Speaker, Martins Wachukwu, the 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 said the scholarship programme was well-intentioned but its implementation was flawed.
Amaewhule said the documents from the relevant government institutions contained conflicting figures and indicated that only about N5bn out of the more than N29bn released to PAMO University had been accounted for.
The House had earlier this month rejected the N6bn allocated for scholarships to Rivers indigenes studying at PAMO University in the state’s 2026 budget.