An attorney named Victor Giwa, who is based in Abuja, was threatened with a bench warrant by a Federal Capital Territory High Court that was sitting in Maitama on Tuesday. The lawyer is accused of unlawfully evicting one Ms. Asabe Waziri, engaging in criminal intimidation, and threatening her life.
There are nine counts of charges against the defendants in the lawsuit that has been designated as CR/222/2023. These charges include wrongful eviction, criminal intimidation, threat to life, and damage to property in the amount of N300 million.
All three defendants named in the lawsuit, Mr. Cecil Osakwe, Mr. Victor Giwa, and Ms. Edith Erhumwuuse, were not present for their planned arraignment because they were not present when the matter was called upon for hearing at today’s meeting.
At the previous sitting in the matter, Victor Giwa, the second defendant, had written to the court that he was sick. However, there was evidence that he was before Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court Abuja as a counsel in another matter, according to M.A. Una, the counsel for the plaintiff. M.A. Una argued that this was not the case.
He begged the court to issue a bench warrant for his arrest so that he may be brought before the court for arraignment.
In her response, Giwa’s attorney Deborah Nwoke stated that her client was sick and claimed to have a medical report to back up her claim. However, she did not dispute the fact that her client was present in court on that particular day.
Additionally, the attorney for the plaintiff asserted to the court that the first defendant, Cecil Osakwe, is dodging service and that numerous attempts to serve him were unsuccessful.
At No. 11 on Aso Drive in Abuja, he approached the court with a request to issue an application for substituted service that could be affixed to his residence.
A brief verdict was issued by Justice Samira Bature, who approved the request for substituted service to be affixed to the domicile of the first defendant.
In addition, she threatened to issue a bench warrant for the second defendant in the event that he did not show up for the subsequent adjourned judge’s date.
By virtue of the fact that he is a lawyer, the judge decided that the second defendant should be granted a pardon.
It was imperative that he show up at the next adjourned date, as failure to do so would result in the issuance of a bench warrant.
For the purpose of additional mention and eventual arraignment, Justice Bature postponed the proceeding until Wednesday, July 17th.
