The Federal Capital Territory’s Court of Appeal in Abuja has ordered the immediate release of Solomon Akuma, a 30-year-old pharmacist who is being tried on a charge that may amount to terrorism because of a tweet he sent criticising President Muhammadu Buhari.
In response to a tweet asking, “If $1 million enters your account, what will you do?” He was detained on April 2, 2020, in Abia State for tweeting that he would “hire a Russian sniper to murder (President Muhammadu) Buhari and (Abba) Kyari (Buhari’s former Chief of Staff).”
Following nearly two years of wrongful detention, the three-person panel ordered the Nigerian Correctional Services on Thursday to free the young man.
The trial judge, Justice Folashade Giwa-Ogunbanjo of the Federal High Court in Abuja, was accused of prejudice, and Solomon had requested that he step down from the case. He urged the Chief Judge to reassign the case because he said he would not be able to obtain justice in front of the judge.
On November 22, 2021, the trial judge issued a decision in which she dismissed Solomon’s case on the grounds that it was flawed and lacked a legitimate accusation. Additionally, she claimed that the matter had not been diligently pursued.
The defendant should have been released from jail custody, but the judge did not make that decision.
On April 4, 2022, Folashade notified the court of her resignation from the case through the court registrar, who then informed Akuma’s attorney that the judge had left the case and that the Chief Judge would now be assigned to the case.
She was accused of demonstrating a possibility of bias against the defendant in a motion on notice submitted through the defence attorney with the motion on notice number FHC/ABJ/CR/97/2020, for which she withdrew.
Remember that on December 17, 2021, the court turned down Emmanuel Ukaegbu’s request to let the defendant out of prison. Instead, the court agreed with the prosecution’s request to change the charge and threatened to arrest and jail Ukaegbu.
Even though the defendant stated that he hadn’t seen the updated charge, the court made multiple attempts to force him to enter a plea.
When Ukaegbu reiterated that his client would not take the plea, the visibly irate judge argued that he would arrest and jail the defence attorney in front of the entire court for disobedience and the dispute that followed.
Solomon wrote the Chief Judge a complaint, stating that there had been a number of statutory and constitutional changes since the judge rendered her decision in the case, which would prevent them from receiving justice.
The letter stated, “That my wrongful detention resulted from the Honorable Court’s failure to issue the proper consequence order dismissing and releasing me from custody. I applied for my release and discharge at that time.
The prosecution also requested that the court’s judgement be overturned and that the charge that had already been dismissed be amended.
“That this Honorable Court refused to release me from detention and granted an amendment to a charge that had already been dismissed.”
“That the amended charge filed on November 29, 2021, was deemed to have been duly filed and served by this Honorable Court.
My attorney requested an adjournment so that he could give me the charge and get me ready to enter a plea, if necessary, but this honourable court first rejected the request.
“That on December 17, 2021, the Honorable Court started conducting the proceedings straight with me instead of granting the Defendant’s Counsel’s request for an adjournment.”
The Amended Charge was Read to Me Without the Participation of My Counsel on Two Occasions on December 17, 2021, and the Court Entered a Plea of Not Guilty When I Did Not Take Plea, Per the Honourable Court’s Order.
“That the Honorable Court reluctantly agreed to a postponement for the plea and further proceedings. The proceeding from December 17, 2021, in its certified true copy, is submitted as Exhibit SA3.
that I have no faith in this honourable court to provide justice.
