Bomb Blast: Okah requests for family doctor

Nnamdi Felix / Abuja

Alleged mastermind of the 2010 Independent Day twin bomb explosions in Abuja, Charles Okah, on Friday urged a Federal High Court to grant him leave to be examined by an independent private medical practitioner.

He begged the court to allow his family appoint the practitioner and pay for by his services so that he can examined. This will allow him ascertain his physical and mental status and decide whether he is medically fit to stand trial.

Okah is standing trial on treasonable felony charge over the bomb blasts which rocked the federal capital city during the 2010 Independence Day celebrations at the Eagle Square.

He also wants the court to grant leave to the private medical practitioner to produce a medical or scientific analysis or report on the side effect of a drug, Epilim Sodium Valproate; ESV, which was prescribed and administered to him by the prison authority which he further claims to be a prescription for the treatment of Epilepsy.

His lawyer, Aineto John, told the court that there was an element of bias in the medical report submitted by a three man medical panel who had examined Okah earlier and turned in a report that indicates that the suspected bomber is medically fit to face his trial.

“Despite acknowledging that the drug has side effects and confirming that the accused has occasional fluctuation in his level of consciousness and suffers intermittent involuntary muscular jerks and hallucinatory experiences as well as persistent delusional disorder, the medical panel still turned in a report where they concluded that the accused is fit for trial”.

He argued that it is either the medical panel is biased or the federal government induced them to produce the report it wanted. The accused family would like to nominate a private medical practitioner that will give a fair and unbiased assessment.

The federal government, represented by Dr. Alex Izinyon, a senior advocate opposed the application and urged the court to dismiss it as it is a ploy to delay the trial which has suffered several delays since it commenced four years ago.

“The application constitutes an abuse of court process and is calculated to irritate the state. For four years now, the accused person had brought several applications to delay this trial.

“We need justice to be done in this matter. Justice is not for the accused alone, what about the school pupils who lost their lives in the blasts, don’t they deserve justice? This court has been very fair to the accused person for the past four years.

“He was the person who requested for National Hospital doctors to examine him, now that the report is out confirming our position that he is fit to face his trial, he wants his family to appoint another medical practitioner to examine him. How can his own family be the ones to nominate or appoint a doctor for his examination in a matter of this magnitude? That kind of request is not founded in law”

He noted that acquiescing to this request will amount to setting aside the valid order made by the court which gave rise to the inauguration of the three man panel that examined the accused person.

He therefore urged the court to consider the interest of the society in the matter, which he categorically stated, is over and above that of the accused person.

The trial judge, Justice Gabriel Kolawole, thereafter adjourned ruling on the matter to 9 June.