Okoi Obono-Obla|20 January 2016|6:35am
The National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Olisa Metuh reportedly fought officials of the EFCC on the interrogation room where he was taken after his arrest and torn a confessional statement he had written and attempted to chew it!
He is therefore a defendant with violent disposition! Today he was brought to the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja for arraignment on charges of Stealing and money laundering under handcuffs.
Some apologists have been making insinuation of sectional bias against Olisa because he was handcuffed! These piteous apologists suggest that because Colonel Sambo Dasuki who is facing similar charges as Olisa was not handcuffed when he was brought to Court there is tinge of ethnic and sectional bias against Olisa!
What an outrageous, puerile, absurd and warped argument which is totally out sync with logic and reasoning! It is a bunkum! The law gives law enforcement agents and officers of the Nigerian Prisons Service the power to habdcuff a defendant who manifests violent disposition such as Olisa Metuh.
It is submitted that the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 and the Nigerian Prisons Act, 2010, a defendant who is violent or manifest violent tendencies is liable to be handcuffed or bound outside the Court room. It is only when duch a defendant is entering the Court room, that the Wardens are required to remove the handcuffs or leg chain.
It is worthy to note that handcuffing or leg chaining a defendant is permitted by law and does not in any way violates the Fundamental human rights of a defendant. Granted that the Constitution says that a defendant or criminal suspect is to be treated with dignity and humanity; handcuffing such a defendant cannot under any stretch of imagination amounts a contravention of the Constitution.
Recall that a former Inspector General of Police,Tafa Balogun was handcuffed during Obasanjo presidency by the EFCC when he was charged and nobody alleges regional or ethnic bias. Dasuki did not manifest violent disposition when he was arrested but he fully cooperated with officials of EFCC. But Olisa Metuh decided to be violent and recalcitrant !
Let justice be done if heaven's will fall!!!
Okoi Obono-Obla
Is a Human Rights Activists & Legal Practitioner
