The Zuba Magistrate Court in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, has ordered the Kuje Correctional Facility to keep Obiajulu Uja in its custody for another two months for urgent medical treatment.
According to news reports, Uja was dragged off a Lagos-Abuja flight in early April after launching a lone protest requesting that President Bola Tinubu (then President-Elect) not be sworn in as President on May 29.
According to a medical assessment presented to the Court at prior hearings on the issue, the guy is said to be mentally ill.
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However, at today’s hearing, Magistrate Abdulazeez Ismail Muhammad, the trial judge, referred him back to the medical center at Kuje Correctional center.
After hearing the prosecutor’s and defense counsel’s bail application submissions, as well as an examination of the medical report, which assumed that the defendant suffers from a mental disorder, the magistrate concluded that the defendant is of unsound mind and thus unfit for trial.
The magistrate said: “Having equally found that the defendant need urgent further treatment and having released the medical observation report is not too conclusive on the peculiar mental challenge of the defendant and in the interest of justice the appropriate thing for the court to do is to further subject the defendant to further medical care at the expense of the federal government.
“Thus, I hereby refer the defendant back to the medical facility at Kuje Correctional Center for further urgent medical treatment for a period of two months at the expense of federal government of Nigeria pursuant to the provision of Section 278(4).
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“The control of the corrections (medicals) is at liberty to engage experts from other medical facilities within the FCT. However, if the mental soundness of the defendant appropriates during this period and before the expiration of the period, the medical officer shall file a report forthwith to enable the court proceed with trial including delivering its ruling on the the defendant’s bail application,” Magistrate Abdulazeez Ismail Muhammad said.
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