September 18, 2008
At a resumed hearing today in Jos, a Federal high court judge presiding over criminal charges filed against the leader of the Movement of the the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) Henry Okahordered the government to allow specialist treatments for him . Mr. Okah's lawyers had applied for an order to enable him get treatment for a Kidney condition.
Okah's lawyers led by civil rights attorney, and president of the West African Bar Association (WABA), Femi Falana are rigorously challenging the competence of the charges proffered against him.
Falana told SaharaReporters shortly after the court hearing that the "proof of evidence is bogus". He explained that for offenses carrying the death penalty, it is unheard of that the evidence so far presented before the court doesn't contain statements of the prosecution witnesses. "The truth is that the accused person doesn't know his accusers". The lawyers have argued the contents of an inventory from a search warrant of the weapons purportedly recovered from Okah's residence in Lagos were suspicious as no one witnessed the search, It also noted that there are discrepancies in the dates made on entries of the search warrants submitted before the court.
The judge has reserved October 3rd 2008 for a ruling on competence of charges.
Okah's lawyers led by civil rights attorney, and president of the West African Bar Association (WABA), Femi Falana are rigorously challenging the competence of the charges proffered against him.
Falana told SaharaReporters shortly after the court hearing that the "proof of evidence is bogus". He explained that for offenses carrying the death penalty, it is unheard of that the evidence so far presented before the court doesn't contain statements of the prosecution witnesses. "The truth is that the accused person doesn't know his accusers". The lawyers have argued the contents of an inventory from a search warrant of the weapons purportedly recovered from Okah's residence in Lagos were suspicious as no one witnessed the search, It also noted that there are discrepancies in the dates made on entries of the search warrants submitted before the court.
The judge has reserved October 3rd 2008 for a ruling on competence of charges.
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