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Okah’s daughter writes court, seeks speedy trial of father

By Bridget Chiedu Onochie, Abuja
17 February 2016   |   1:46 am
Miss Tarila Okah, daughter of the alleged mastermind of the 2010 Independence Day bomb blast, Charles Okah, has written to Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court, seeking expeditious trial of her father. In the letter brought to the court at the resumed trial, Tarila urged the court to expedite dispensation of justice so…

Charles-Okah

Miss Tarila Okah, daughter of the alleged mastermind of the 2010 Independence Day bomb blast, Charles Okah, has written to
Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court, seeking expeditious trial of her father.

In the letter brought to the court at the resumed trial, Tarila urged the court to expedite dispensation of justice so that her father would be available to perform his fatherly role in her oncoming wedding.

The letter also highlighted some issues relating to the suicide attempt by her father as well as charges levelled against him by the Federal Governmant.

The Prosecution counsel, Alex Iziyon (SAN), tried to absolve himself of any form of blame on an issue raised by Tarila in which she berated the long years travail. He rather urged her to consider the fact that the matter is that of public concern as a lot of people were affected and the long adjournments had been due to various forms of motions and applications brought into the matter.

Counsel to Okah, S. Sibiri (SAN), apologised to the court over the letter, claiming that he was not aware of it. “It is an act of indiscretion borne out of ignorance,” he said. He prayed the court to forgive her, stressing that the said letter would have been transmitted through him who is in charge of the case.

The court opined that it had to make the letter public so as to discourage and avoid accepting letters of extra judicial importance from relatives of defendants. Bringing it to the open, the judge said, it would serve as an insigna that the court would not be taking any extra-judicial communication on a matter he is trying.

At the resumption of the matter, the prosecuting counsel had informed the court about an affidavit of compliance it filed as regards payment for debts owed the National Hospital in line with the orders of the
court on June 25, 2015, directing the prison doctor and Chief Medical Director of the National Hospital to look into Okah’s health by way of surgical operation, having been suffering from pile.

To this, Okah’s counsel confirmed receipt of the letter sent by the prosecution, informing the court of the planned visit to the hospital to fix a day for the surgery after the hearing.

The matter continued with testimony from prosecuting witness 8 (PW 8), Ekpiwhre Efe, a medical professional at the government- owned Central Hospital, Warri, Delta State.

He had led the emergency team that evacuated victims of the dynamite explosion at the Government House annex, venue of Vanguard newspaper’s post-amnesty programme of March 15, 2012.

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