Speaking
through his lawyers, Charles Okah, who is standing trial for allegedly
masterminding the 2010 independence Day bombings, said would never be involved
in any prison break, as he is confident of “triumphantly walking out of the
Kuje Prison gates as a free and vindicated man”.
“We
are Solicitors to CHARLES TONBRA OKAH (whom we shall hereinafter, refer to as
“our client”),” read the statement, signed by Timipa jenkins Okponipere.
“Our
client has instructed us to notify the general public that he was not involved
in any manner whatsoever in the prison break, which occurred at about 7.00pm on
Friday June 24, 2016 at the Kuje Maximum Security Prison in Abuja.
“It
is our client’s brief that he was quarantined in an isolation room within the
Kuje Prison Clinic for a suspected Lassa Fever infection when news of the
incident broke.
“On
account of his popularity amongst the inmates, word quickly spread that our
client was among the two inmates who escaped by scaling the 25 feet-high Kuje
Prison fence. It took almost 24 hours for the inmates and Prison Authority to
realise that our client had not escaped from the Prison.
“Our
client has further instructed us to notify all Nigerians and the international
community that, God willing, and without prejudice to his ongoing trial, he
shall triumphantly walk out of the Kuje Prison gates as a free and vindicated
man. He has already set his sights, upon his release, on working assiduously
with the current administration to bring stability to the Niger Delta region.
“He
is however, using this opportunity to appeal to the Judiciary, particularly,
Hon. Justice Gabriel Kolawole, to speedily determine his case; which has
dragged on for nearly 7 years.
“Our
client has further and better instructed us to notify his kith and kin in the
Niger Delta region to give maximum support to the AARON TEAM 2; a peace
initiative of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) which
is aimed at dialogue with the Federal Government on the immediate, medium and
long-term future of the region.”
Okah
also appealed to militant groups in the region to “stop the attacks on oil
installations and desist from being used by disgruntled, corrupt and selfish
politicians”.
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