Justice Chuka Obiozor of a Federal High Court in Lagos Tuesday turned down an application by Waripamo-Owei Dudafa, an aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan, seeking to travel abroad for medical treatment.

In the application, Dudafa is urging the court to order the release of his passport to enable him travel abroad for the treatment of a spinal cord injury, which he allegedly sustained while in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Arguing the application, Dudafa’s lawyer, Kolawole Salami, said the medical appointment was earlier scheduled for July 18 and 19, 2017 but had to be rescheduled for July 28, 2017, owing to his client’s inability to have access to his passport. He said the document was deposited in the court’s custody as part of the conditions attached to the bail granted him by Justice Mohammed Idris who is handling his trial over alleged N5.1 billion fraud.

The lawyer while emphasizing the urgency of his client’s trip urged the court to grant the application.

However, in his ruling on the application, Justice Obiozor faulted Dudafa lawyer’s claim about the urgency of his client’s trip saying if there was truly an emergency, he would have ensured that his application, which was filed since May, was heard by Justice Idris who ordered him to deposit the passport, before the judge proceeded on vacation.

Source: Akeem Nafiu
The Newtelegraph News