A suspected mastermind of the October 1, 2010 bombing in Abuja, Charles Okah, caused a row, by attempting to commit suicide during the Tuesday’s proceedings in his trial before a Federal High Court in Abuja.
According to Punch,Okah, after ending an emotion-filled comment about his protracted trial during the court session, grabbed a nearby chair with which he made repeated but futile attempts to break a window in order to create an opening through which he could jump down from the court room located on the third floor of the five-storey building.
His frustration on Tuesday was ignited by his lawyer’s absence in court.Defence lawyers – Mr. Samuel Zibiri and O.O Otemu – were provided by the Federal Government-owned Legal Aid Council, after Okah in October last year, dispensed with the services of Lagos lawyer, Mr. Festus Keyamo, whose law firm had defended the two of them since the case started in 2010.
Okah, who is standing trial along with Obi Nwabueze for terrorism charges arising from the October 1, 2010 bombing incident, sought the permission of the trial judge, Justice Gabriel Kolawole, to speak after it was discovered that his lawyer was not in court.
After the judge granted him permission to speak from the dock, Okah in a high-pitched emotional outburst expressed frustration about his long incarceration and the attendant deprivation of the opportunity to cater for his family.
Okah said, “I have been incarcerated for about five years now, and I have a family to cater for.“My children would grow up without feeling the warmth of their father. I’m tired of this endless trial.”
It took the intervention of lawyers and some other persons who were in the court room for their respective cases to stop his attempt to commit suicide after his emotion-laden speech.
The chair with which he attempted to break the window was collected from him after he was overpowered and Justice Kolawole promptly adjourned the suit till October 20.
Okah, is a brother to former leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, Henry Okah, who is already serving jail terms in South Africa for the bombing near Eagle’s Square, Abuja on October 1, 2010 in which about 12 persons were said to have died.
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