Abuja Court frowns at incessant adjournments in trial of anti-Tinubu protester

Abuja Court frowns at incessant adjournments in the trial of an anti-Tinubu protester.

A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Magistrate Court, sitting at Zuba, has frowned at the incessant adjournments in the trial of an anti-Tinubu protester, Obiajulu Uja, for a criminal offence.

Uja, an ‘Obedient supporter’ was arrested in April last year when he caused uproar during a Lagos-Abuja flight with his lone protest and demand that Bola Ahmed Tinubu, then a President-elect, must not be inaugurated as Nigeria’s President on May 29.

He had since been put on trial before Magistrate Abdulazeez Ismail Muhammad of the Zuba Magistrate’s Court.

However, at Tuesday’s proceeding slated for definite cross-examination of a prosecution’s witness, PRNigeria reports that Magistrate Muhammad was shocked when he discovered that neither the federal government’s Lawyer, Umo Inna, nor the defence’s lawyer, P. U Ogbadu, was present in court.

To worsen the situation, no explanation was offered for their absence in court.

Magistrate Muhammad, who was taken aback by the development, said in a brief ruling that the ability to remain relevant as an institution requires the need to recognise challenges and begin to take difficult decisions.

“Frivolous adjournment in criminal matters must be prohibited. In the instance case, I will lean on the side of substantial justice to grant an adjournment at the instance of the prosecution.

“Against this background, this matter is adjourned to the 5th day of March 2024 for definite cross-examination”.

PRNigeria reports that in early April 2023, Uja was carried off a Lagos-Abuja flight after he started a lone protest, demanding that President Bola Tinubu (then President-Elect) must never be sworn in as president on May 29.

His trial for the criminal offence has since suffered a series of adjournments.

At a point, the Kuje prison authority, after a medical checkup of the defendant based on the court order, found that Uja was mentally unstable.

However, with recent developments, Uja was granted bail by a vacation judge of the FCT High Court, Justice Edward Okpe, who suggested that Uja was fit for trial.

Consequently, the matter started with a prosecution witness before Magistrate Mohammed Abdulazeez.

The prosecution has since finished leading their witness, and it is now time for the defendant to cross-examine the prosecution witness.

By PRNigeria