A MAGISTRATE’S Court in Egor Local Council of Edo State, yesterday, struck out a case of felony brought by management against a consultant psychiatrist with the Federal Psychiatric Hospital, Uselu near Benin City, Dr. Ambrose Lawani for allegedly locking up the main entrance to the hospital on November 12, 2014.
The court dismissed the suit, which was instituted in December 2014, for lack of merit.
Ruling in the matter, Chief Magistrate W.I. Aziegbemhin held that the prosecutor failed to prove its case, adding that there was no evidence produced while the suit lasted.
In a press statement yesterday in Benin City, Lawani said the ruling was a vindication of his claims that the hospital management was out to victimise him and some other staff due to their insistence for due process in the running of the establishment.
“A desperate Medical Director used the apparatus of his office and the state to frame me with the sole aim of tarnishing my reputation. By the grace of God and the will of the people, such brazen acts of gross impunity and abuse of power that characterised the ‘transformation era’ shall be extirpated from our body polity in this era of change,” Lawani stated.
Also speaking, his counsel, Olayiwola Afolabi, said the judgment was “a clear indication that the judiciary is the last hope of the common man. They alleged that my client locked up the gate to the hospital. They never brought any witness. The IPO never mentioned anything about their investigation.
It was a case of pervasion of justice on the part of the management of the hospital. The court granted several adjournments for them to come with evidence. They even petitioned the first Magistrate that was handling the case that they don’t have confidence in him and then it was transferred to this one, so we are happy about the ruling,” he added.
