The National Hospital, Abuja in a letter dated 23rd May 2018 has confirmed that former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) spokesperson, Chief Olisa Metuh was rushed to the Accident/Emergency Unit of the National Hospital on Monday 21st May, 2018 by the Federal High Court Ambulance Crew after he collapsed during a court session and sustained a head injury with transient impairment of consciousness lasting about 10 minutes.
The document exclusively obtained by SIGNAL also revealed that Metuh has been a Spondylotic spine patient of the National Hospital since 2004.
Olisa Metuh who was walking to the dock during his arraignment in court on Monday, SIGNAL gathered, fell down, hit his head on the floor and his waist snapped.
Eyewitnesses said the registrar of the court, on hearing what happened, called for the medical team of the Federal High Court who administered First Aid to Metuh. Before the team arrived, Metuh had already regained consciousness but the team still checked to further ascertain what was wrong.
“The doctor who checked the Blood Pressure of the defendant screamed as she discovered that the BP was extremely high”, an eyewitness who observed the proceedings said.
However, the trial judge, Justice Okon Abang, said the former spokesperson fell on his own, insisting that the trial must continue.
The trial judge, SIGNAL gathered, returned to court to continue with the case after the defendant was stretched out of the court for medical attention, but the defense lawyer, Emeka Etiaba, SAN objected and threatened to withdraw from the case asking how he could he continue with the case when he did not know whether his client was dead or alive.
The defendant, SIGNAL learned, was later taken to the National Hospital in an ambulance by the Federal High Court Medical Team. On arriving at the hospital, the doctors on duty were reluctant in attending to Metuh because of the perception that they were aiding Metuh in evading the court process. After hours of waiting and intervention from the Chief Medical Director and Chairman of Board, the hospital management asked the medical team that brought Olisa Metuh to sign a paper, stating where they were coming from and why they were bringing him.
In another document obtained by SIGNAL, the younger brother to the former PDP spokesperson had in an affidavit informed the court about the whereabouts of the defendant, Chief Olisa Metuh. In the affidavit, Obinna Metuh, younger brother of the defendant deposed at the Federal High Court that the defendant has been at the Intensive Care Unit where he was thoroughly being examined and monitored by a team of medical experts, professors, consultants and registrars who are currently attending to him and carrying out medical examinations. He added that during the examination, the medical experts discovered the recent improvements in the defendant’s health have been reversed as he has tally lost sensitivity on his limbs (cannot sit, stand or move his legs anymore).
The defendant, according to the affidavit had since Monday the 21st of May 2018, been a patient of the Intensive Care Unit of the Trauma Centre at the National Hospital Abuja. The medical report from the National Hospital stating the status of the Defendant’s health was annexed and marked exhibit A.
“The whereabouts of the defendant is well known especially to the Federal High Court’s medical personnel who conveyed him to the National Hospital and properly documented his transfer to the hospital”, the affidavit said.
But in a ruling on Wednesday, the trial judge said the court was entitled to proceed with the trial in Metuh’s absence, considering the defendant’s previous several attempts to frustrate the trial and the way he allegedly conducted himself after he fell down in court on Monday.
The judge ruled, “The application by prosecution deserves to succeed.
“The trial shall proceed in the absence of the defendant. See Section 266(a) and section 352(4) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015.”
Olisa Metuh’s case, according to sources, is one of the high profile convictions the current administration is looking forward to secure in the ongoing anti-corruption war ahead of the 2019 presidential polls.
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