Akuma turned 30 today (Tuesday, February 1, 2022) but spent it in captivity as he is being detained by the Buhari regime.
The absence of defence counsel on Tuesday stalled the arraignment on fresh charges of a 30-year-old pharmacist, Solomon Akuma, accused of posting a comment against President Muhammadu Buhari and his late Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, on Twitter.
Akuma turned 30 today (Tuesday, February 1, 2022) but spent it in captivity as he is being detained by the Buhari regime.
It would be the second birthday the pharmacist would be celebrating in detention following his arrest in 2020 over the Twitter comment.
Akuma is being prosecuted after his arrest on April 2, 2020 in Abia State for tweeting that he will "pay a Russian sniper to eliminate (President Muhammadu) Buhari and (Abba) Kyari (Buhari’s former Chief of Staff)" in response to a Twitter post asking "if $1m hits your account, your next move?"
This matter was for the rearraignment of the defendants at the Federal High Court, Abuja but could not go on as scheduled due to the absence of Akuma’s lawyer, Emmanuel Ukaegbu.
Justice Folashade Giwa-Ogunbanjo had on November 22, 2021, while delivering her judgement on the matter, struck out the case on the ground that it was defective.
The court said there was no valid charge before the court and that the matter was not diligently prosecuted.
However, on December 17, 2021, the judge allowed the application of an amended charge against the Akuma.
When the matter was called on Tuesday, the police lawyer, Victor I. Okoye, announced his appearance for the prosecution but the defence lawyer was absent.
The judge, therefore, asked the defendant if there was any assurance that his lawyer would arrive at the court before the adjournment.
Akuma replied that he had no idea when his lawyer would arrive.
The judge then asked if Akuma could defend himself in the absence of his lawyer but he said no.
She, therefore, told him that the court would proceed with the case even if the defence lawyer failed to appear on Wednesday, adding that it would not indefinitely wait for counsel.
"If the defence counsel is not in court tomorrow (Wednesday), we will carry on with the case," the judge said.
She thereafter adjourned the case to Wednesday, February 2, for rearraignment.
Akuma was kept at the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) after his arrest on April 2, 2020 before being transferred to Suleja Correctional Centre.
The judge had at the last hearing made several attempts to force the defendant to take his plea even when defendant insisted that he had not seen the amended charge.
The visibly angry judge also threatened to jail Ukaegbu for contempt of court in the ensued argument when the lawyer insisted that his client would not take the plea.
Ukaegbu had insisted that even the entire day would not be enough for him and his client to go through the amended charge.
Human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, in a Twitter post using #FreeSolomonAkuma, on Tuesday, knocked the Buhari regime over Akuma’s detention.
“Solomon Akuma birthday is today but he’s sadly held captive by the Muhammadu Buhari regime over a Twitter banter. He will be in court today because a federal high court judge, Folashade Giwa-Ogunbanjo is playing God!
“Wishing Solomon Akuma a nice birthday. We are looking forward to his freedom because #WeCantContinueLikeThis #RevolutionNow,” he wrote.