By Oji Odu

Olisa Metuh, former Publicity Secretary of the People’s Democratic Party ( PDP) may one day die in court. His falls and collapses are increasing by the day whenever he presents himself for defense in the graft case against him.

Monday Morning, May 21, 2018, recorded yet another of such collapse in the court. The incident happened just as he was making his way to the dock for his resumed trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Metuh, who is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in the N400m he allegedly received from the Office of the National Security Adviser in 2014, fell down shortly after the case was called and fainted. The incident happened about 9:01 am in the courtroom.

The presiding judge, Okon Abang, had to stand down the matter to enable the former PDP spokesman receive medical attention.

Why is the fall on the increase? Why is he being denied treatment outside the country bearing in mind the poverty of the nations health system while some others are allowed such privilege? What are both the judiciary and government afraid of if he is allowed to seek medical treatment outside Nigeria?

God forbid, if he gives up the ghost in any of subsequent fall, what will be the explanation of the EFCC, government and whatever interested parties to his family and Nigerians?

Embattled  Metuh who is said to be suffering from spinal cord illness had accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) government of preventing his doctors from attending to his failing health.

In a statement, he alleged that besides intimidating Nigerian doctors attending to his health, members of the ruling party had also taken the campaign against him to a United Kingdom hospital to which a letter was addressed depicting him as an enemy of Nigeria. This has led to the rejection of his application to travel outside the country for medical treatment.

Metuh had on last Wednesday, arrived for continuation of his trial before the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, in a wheelchair.

At the resumed proceeding of the continuation of his trial at the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, the former PDP scribe through his lawyer, Emeka Etiaba, SAN, applied to be allowed to travel to the United Kingdom for medical treatment.

In a statement on Tuesday, Metuh lamented the continued denial of his passport for medical attention abroad and the corresponding liberty given to others facing similar charges to undertake pilgrimages and other ventures abroad.

The statement issued on his behalf by Bar. Benchuks Nwosu, the former PDP spokesman, alleged that it was now clear that his case had turned into a media trial for offences committed in the defence of his party.

“We have instances and evidence of these APC controlled agents and agencies directly interfering with the various hospitals that have admitted Chief Metuh in the last two months, but the latest is the letter written by APC to the Wellington Hospital, London, U.K, depicting our client as an enemy of the Nigerian state and one that should not even access to medical treatment abroad.

“The clear fact, as evidenced by his MRI report, is that Chief Olisa Metuh has severe spondylosis with disc herniations, cord and nerve root compressions in his Cervical, Thoracic and Lumbosacral spine. This has resulted in semi-paralysis and we have even gone further in open Court to request that the prosecution be allowed to conduct their own independent clinical examination of the person involved.

“Our Client has not left the confines of a hospital or his own bedroom for the past two months except to attend Court proceedings. He spent several hours in Court on the 14th of March, 2018 and had to be taken straight to hospital to be sedated with pentadine injection and other strong pain killers. In order to be present in Court on subsequent days (15th and 16th of March 2018) he also had to take the strong pain killer injections early morning before the sittings. This however, resulted in our Client being semi-drowsy on the 15th and 16th and was clearly unable to even observe or follow the proceedings in open Court.

“In any case, are these people not aware that it is only in Chief Olisa Metuh’s matter that the issue of release of passport for an accused person has been such an impossibility?”

He regretted that recently, a Court released the passport of an accused person being prosecuted by the same EFCC to enable him attend a conference abroad, while others have been allowed to go for medical check- up abroad and even for pilgrimage.

“We believe strongly that these media trials are geared towards convincing the public that a man whose charge is that he “reasonably ought to have known” that the money given to him was part of an unlawful activity of another individual who has not even been questioned, investigated or charged is already guilty and convicted even before he has given his evidence in the matter.

“Our Client, Chief Olisa Metuh has pleaded not guilty to the charges and has been making his case on his innocence. He has applied the highest level of comportment in showing his respect for our legal system. His only worry remains his plea to be allowed to have a definitive treatment of his worsening ailment. He has suffered humiliation and pain simply by being obedient to court orders.

“The fight against corruption does not imply persecution, manifest wickedness and lynch mob approach to particular individuals,” he added.

The Magazine learnt that even after appeal by the House of Representatives for Metu to be allowed foreign medical treatment, both the judiciary and interested parties have refused. What are their fears? Is Metu still a power to be reckoned with politically?

In a chat with Samson Adekunle, a political analyst: “ Those he stepped on their toes as former PDP Publicity Secretary are fighting back. They are hell bent on finishing him up that he may have lost all political relevance after they left him. We pray they don’t over do it so that he will not die one day in court.”

By Oji Odu

There cannot be a smoke without fire. In a country where Sharia laws are allegedly forced on non Muslim Youth Corpers serving in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), is the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo being pressurised by powers that be in high places, who have a firm grip on Nigeria’s government to denounce his faith as a Christian, ‘Born Again and Holy Spirit filled’ and become a Muslim? If so, what do these powers stand to gain by such act instead of seeking better and more progressive ways of repositioning the nation on higher pedestal?

At a stakeholders meeting at Benue State Banquet Hall, Markudi, on Wednesday, some Christian clerics had raised the issue of his assumed lackadaisical attitude towards the incessant herdsmen killings whereby Christian communities are allegedly being overrun and desolated while the people are made displaced. This had increased their fears that the Pastor- Vice President is under pressure to Islamise.

Reacting particularly to the speech by Bishop William Avenya of the Gboko Diocese of the Catholic Church who said God would hold him responsible if he failed to act on the increased herdsmen killings in the zone and others, Osinbajo refuted the allegation, stating that nothing will ever make him to denounce his Christian religion. He also debunked the allegation that the herdsmen killings et cetera are an agenda to Islamise Nigeria.

“As a matter of fact, I’m also a priest and I’m a Christian, a born-again Christian. Because I’m a born-again Christian, my destiny is not determined by any man but by God whom I serve. Let me assure you that under no circumstances, none whatsoever, will I give up my faith or refuse to stand up for my faith. You can take that to the bank.

“Even the position that I currently occupy, I did not ask for it and I’m prepared to leave it at a short notice. It doesn’t mean anything.

“Some people have suggested that there is an agenda; I heard the very eloquent words of Dr. Magdalene Dura who said this is an agenda. The suggestions that have been made that, indeed, there is ethnic cleansing and all of that – but let me say to you that although I do not accept that, but the only way that we can prove that there is indeed no agenda is to protect the people, it’s to fight for justice and to rebuild where there has been destruction.

“That’s the only way to prove it. As I said to you, I do not accept and I do not believe that there is an agenda. No one will deliberately kill his own people. No one will do so. I became a born-again Christian after I became a professor, a professor of the law of evidence, a professor of proof.

“But when the Lord Jesus Christ met me, He persuaded me by showing me clearly that there is such a thing as the evidence of faith that are not seen. It is because of the evidence of things that are not seen, it is because you can make something out of nothing that I stand here today as vice president.

“How possible can anyone say that the killing of women and children doesn’t matter because he is vice president or because he is president? How is that possible? Certainly, it cannot be for a person who is born again. A renewed mind will know that there is justice, there is consequence even if there is no justice here on earth”, he said.

Further, he added: “But we cannot bring back the dead, but we can make life more bearable for the living. This is why coming here today at the behest of the president is first, to look at the situation myself, to get a first-hand view of the situation, because the president has mandated me to take this on board and deal with the issues.

“But we must not be afraid of the truth and history so that we do not arrive at a half solution.If we sound as if this problem started with this administration, then the solutions that we proffer will not last.”

While condoling the Catholic Church on the recent killing of the Priests and worshippers, Osinbajo noted that “It is important for us to know that in order to solve this problem, we must dig deep to the root, otherwise we will find a half solution, people would return to their homes, perhaps there will be peace for another year or two, after a while again it blows out. We must understand that this is a major problem.”

Earlier, in his lamentation, Bishop Avenya cried out: “Mr. Vice President, Benue people are like children without a father, we are in this country as if we are not part of this country.

“Mr. Vice President, try and be a Christian and a committed Christian, do your best to stop these killings and save your name, else, you will have (to bear the) brunt of this issue as one who is not doing anything to stop the crisis.

“Our roads are bad, most times our leaders rush to patch them whenever you are planning to visit us.

“I am not a politician, so I will not paint a bad thing to be good the way other politicians do.”

In her remarks also during the meeting, Dr. (Mrs.) Magdalene Dura pointed out a genocide against the Tiv people, while regretting the poor military presence in the zone.

“There is genocide against the Tiv people across the country, Nigeria has failed Benue.

“Military presence in a troubled area is a right, not a privilege. Those displaced are more (in number) than the ones at the IDPs camps.

“We know our killers, they are Fulani herdsmen, they are Myetti Allah Kautal Hore We have cried but none have been arrested. No justice in Nigeria.

“Leadership has timeline, even if it is 10 years, it will come to an end and leaders shall face their Creator,” she stated.

However, while accusing the Vice President of not doing anything to stop the killings, the question remains: is there anything special the Vice President can do that will help stop the incessant killings, taking cognizance of his position as number two citizen with very small constitutional powers to work with? What do the Priests and other Nigerians backing them want him to do?

In a chat with the Magazine, Felix Ojo, a Human Relations expert said: “ At this time, everybody has the right to express his views and anger. Osinbajo is the Vice President in a country where his position has little or no power to operate. He is advisory and cannot do much.

“ However, in advanced societies which Nigeria is speedily becoming, he cannot just be seen to stand aloof to the killings and always trying to explain things. If he is touched as claimed by the killings, they want him to resign his position, a move that can speed up actions to check the killings. You don’t blame anyone who feels he may be under pressure to dump his religion. Unfortunately, resignation seems not only un-Nigerian, it is un-African.”

Adding, Ojo said that if there may have been plans to Islamise Osinbajo, the interaction with the Christian clerics in Benue would have checked it, even if briefly. Also, the Vice President cannot afford to resign now because of the damage it will do to the unity of Nigeria, bearing in mind the reasons he has given to elicit it.