Daily Trust

Ex-lover brutality: Counsel’s absence stalls hearing

- By Mulikatu Mukaila

The case of grievous bodily harm between an Abuja based lawyer, Barr. Omattah Emmanuel and his ex-lover, one Miss Elsie Imaikop, was adjourned to February 14th, 2017, following the absence of the counsel to the defendant.

When the case was called for hearing, the defence counsel, Barr. Andrew Apeh was said to have travelled to Edo state for hearing on an election petition case in the state.

While adjourning the case to February 14th, 2017, the Chief Magistrate, Muhammed Marafa, decried the insistent absence of the defence counsel from the court.

He said the action is stalling the process, and therefore warned that failure of the counsel to represent his client on the adjourned date would be interprete­d as lack of representa­tion for the accused.

Omattah was arraigned before the Kubwa Area Court in a case file CR/601/2016 on eight count charges ranging from; threat to life, inflicting grievous bodily harm, criminal trespassin­g, criminal assault, intimidati­on, defamation of character, among other charges.

The plaintiff, Imaikop, is seeking justice for the permanent deformity inflicted on her by the former lover, Emmanuel Omattah.

It was alleged that Imaikop’s right index finger was bitten off by her ex-lover of four years, after leaving her for a Deputy Superinten­dent of Police, Justina Enefu.

Imaikop was said to have been in a relationsh­ip with the suspect, Emmanuel Omattah for four years, before his planned wedding to DSP Enefu on May 7th, 2016.

The victim was attacked in her residence at the Federal Housing, Kubwa, on the 6th of May 2016.

The suspect allegedly armed himself with cutlass and metal rod with which he assaulted his former lover and also bite off part of her index finger.

The case was reported at the Kubwa Police Station and the suspect charged to court, from where he was remanded at the Suleja prison till 17th May, 2016 and later released on bail.

The Complainan­t who now suffers permanent disability and loss of her properties to the suspect, is seeking justice in the case and interventi­on from relevant bodies, including the Nigerian Bar Associatio­n, Police Service Commission, Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, National Human Rights Commission, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, FIDA, and other well meaning organisati­ons.

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