Lawyers to Henry Okah, leader of the militant group Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), have demanded that his trial be re-assigned to another court.
Okah is currently facing a 62-count charge of treason, terrorism, kidnapping, illegal importation of arms and ammunition, illegal trafficking in arms and ammunition, illegal possession and storage of prohibited goods, management of unlawful society, incitement of soldiers to commit traitorous, among others, at the Federal High Court in the northern city of Jos.
But in a statement by the solicitors, obtained by PANA Sunday, they wrote: ”In a judgment delivered on December 19, 2008 in the case of Ibori v. FRN (unreported) the Court of Appeal held that ‘what was pertinent in the eyes of the law is that justice should be accessible by all citizens, irrespective of their standing in the society at minimal costs. At all times, the person accused should be tried at a judicial division closest to where the offence was committed’.”
They said, therefore, that pursuant to the said judgment, ”we hereby request Your Lordship to withdraw our client case from the Jos Division of the Federal High Court as most of the offences against our client allegedly took place in Bayelsa State (in the oil producing Niger Delta region).
”In the circumstances Your Lordship should re-assign the case to Yenogoa Division of the Federal High Court without any delay,” they demanded.
It is not immediately known what prompted the demand for the re-assignment of the case, but recent local media reports indicate that Okah’s health has deteriorated as he is believed to be suffering from a kidney-related problem.
In a statement issued on Saturday, MEND – the oil region’s largest militant group – warned against denying Okah access to treatment ”in an appropriate medical facility outside the country that can handle the same ailment President YarÁdua travels out for”.
”If the Nigeria state believes it can kill and get away with the murder of another Niger Delta activist the same way they did to Ken Saro Wiwa and Isaac Boro, they are gravely mistaken.
”MEND is calling on the United Nations to be proactive and act now instead of waiting until the situation gets out of hand, by calling the government of Nigeria to do what is right and humane for peace to prevail,” the group said.