21st October, 2010
A chief magistrate’s court sitting in Abuja this morning aborted a planned secret trial of Mr. Charles Okah and six others who were brought before it in connection with the Independence Day bomb blasts in Abuja.
Security operatives from the State Security Service, SSS, headquarters who brought the accused persons to the court had planned to conduct their arraignment in secret and chase out lawyers and journalists from the court premises before ushering in the accused persons.
Proceedings were, however, stalled when Mrs. Oyebole Oyewumi, the presiding Chief magistrate insisted that proceedings cannot commence without the presence of lawyers for all the accused persons.
Mrs. Oyewumi ordered that the accused persons be allowed access to counsels oft heir choice before their arraignment can proceed.
Counsel from the chambers of Festus Keyamo who were in court to represent the accused persons were shut out of the proceedings.
Attempt by the legal officer of the SSS to persuade Mrs. Oyewumi to commence the arraignment was aborted as she stood her ground that the trial of the suspected bombers must be done in a normal court sitting where their counsel will be on hand to represent them; in line with the laws of the country.
The security operatives thereafter requested for time to confer with their superiors over the position of the court on the matter.
The case was subsequently adjourned till 24 November, 2010.
Two bomb explosions left 14 persons dead and many others injured during Nigeria’s 50th Independence Anniversary celebration at Eagle Square, Abuja.
While, a faction of the Movement for Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, claimed responsibility for the bombings, having earlier warned it would strike, some suspects were later arrested by security operatives.
The Director-General of the Ibrahim Babangida Campaign Oorganization, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, was also arrested, quizzed and later released; on the suspicion that a text message linked him with one of the suspected bombers.
Brother to ex-leader of MEND, Henry Okah, Charles Okah and other suspects were arrested in connection with the bombings.
Meanwhile, the trial of Henry Okah for alleged gun running continued in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The trial was not only done in the open court but widely covered by the world press and beamed on major televisions stations of the world.
—Felix Nnamdi/ Abuja