A FEDERAL High Court in Abuja has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of a former investigator with the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property (SPIPRPP), Victor Osita Uwajeh.
Justice John Tsoho issued the bench warrant while ruling on an application brought by Kayode Alilu, a lawyer for the office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF).
It followed Uwajeh’s failure to attend court to answer to a charge pending against him.
The office of the AGF has since September 19, 2017 filed the four-count charge in which Uwajeh was said to have “utter a false document” with which he allegedly claimed to be acting as agent of Senator Emmanuel Andy Uba.
Uwajeh was recently fired by SPIPRPP as special investigator, via a letter dated April 23, 2018, due to his alleged non-disclosure of a criminal charge pending against him before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
At the beginning of proceedings yesterday, Alilu told the court that the prosecution has executed the court’s order for substituted service of the criminal summons on the defendant.
He said despite the fact that the order of the court and the criminal summons have been affixed on the defendant’s residence, pursuant to Section 124 of ACJA, as ordered by the court, Uwajeh was still absent in court.
Alilu said since the defendant has decided to willfully refused to attend court, there was need for the court to protect its integrity by compelling the defendant to attend court to answer to the charge pending against him.
Amobi Nzelu, who announced appearance for the defendant, urged the court to reject the prosecution’s application for bench warrant.
He said he was new in the case and required time to familiarise himself with the processes filed by the prosecution so far.
Nzelu also pleaded with the judge to allow lawyers to both parties in the case meet with him in chambers in respect of issues he (Nzelu) said he was unwilling to disclose in court.
Alilu urged the court to discountenance Nzelu’s submission on the ground that he was not properly in the case.
After listening to arguments from the lawyers, Justice Tsoho stood down proceedings for about 30 minutes to meet with Nzelu, Alilu and Vincent Otaokpukpu (who held watching brief for Uba) in chambers.
At the resumption of proceedings later, the judge said Uwajeh’ failure to attend court despite being aware that a charge was pending against him, constituted an affront on the court, to warrant the issuance of a warrant of arrest for his production in court, as requested by the prosecution.
Justice Tsoho frowned at the conduct of the two lawyers, who the judge noted, appeared for the defendant and subsequently disappeared, only for Nzelu to suddenly appear and claimed to be representing the defendant.