Edo Court Acquits Four Workers Of Nuero-Psychiatric Hospital

An Egor Magistrate Court 2 in Benin City, Edo State, on Thursday
discharged and acquitted four staff of the Federal
Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, in Benin, charged for felony and other
criminal allegations.

The four accused persons in the case with charge No.
MEG/201c/14/A, Dr. O. C. Ikeji, Mrs. O.U. Morgan, Dr. Orhiakhi and
Mr. O. Akerele, have been under suspension right from the day the
matter was brought before the court.

The alleged crime was said to have been committed in 2014, when
they were accused of stealing a file from one Ms. T. I. Agho,
belonging to the Edo State Post Primary Education Board.

The presiding Magistrate, Mr. Williams I. Aziegbemhin, who threw
out the protracted case that lingered for over three years, said
that judgement was delayed, owing to copious deployment of a
cornucopia of overt and covert delay tactics by the prosecution
counsel.

He said the prosecuting counsel failed to prove his case, adding
that the Investigating Police Officer, ASP Dumpe Donaka, agreed
that he did not visit the scene of the crime, noting that he only
visited the place but did not investigate.

The Magistrate therefore “threw the case out and acquitted” the
four accused and warned that all parties should abide by the
judgment or face penalties.

Responding to their acquittal in a statement issued and made
available to journalists in Benin; they said: “We believe the
judgment delivered today has gone a long way to restore our
reputation in the eyes of the public.

“We hope and pray that this will be the last time the head of a
government institution in Nigeria will abuse the apparatus of their
office and the state by using them to intimidate their imaginary
enemies.”

It would be recalled that the same court had in 2015, also
struck out a case of felony of padlocking the main entrance to the
hospital with a key and chain on November 12, 2014, preferred
against a Consultant Psychiatrist with the Hospital, Dr. Ambrose
Lawani, over the inability of the prosecutors to prove their case
which was instituted in December 2014.

An Egor Magistrate Court 2 in Benin City, Edo State, on Thursday
discharged and acquitted four staff of the Federal
Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, in Benin, charged for felony and other
criminal allegations.

The four accused persons in the case with charge No.
MEG/201c/14/A, Dr. O. C. Ikeji, Mrs. O.U. Morgan, Dr. Orhiakhi and
Mr. O. Akerele, have been under suspension right from the day the
matter was brought before the court.

The alleged crime was said to have been committed in 2014, when
they were accused of stealing a file from one Ms. T. I. Agho,
belonging to the Edo State Post Primary Education Board.

The presiding Magistrate, Mr. Williams I. Aziegbemhin, who threw
out the protracted case that lingered for over three years, said
that judgement was delayed, owing to copious deployment of a
cornucopia of overt and covert delay tactics by the prosecution
counsel.

He said the prosecuting counsel failed to prove his case, adding
that the Investigating Police Officer, ASP Dumpe Donaka, agreed
that he did not visit the scene of the crime, noting that he only
visited the place but did not investigate.

The Magistrate therefore “threw the case out and acquitted” the
four accused and warned that all parties should abide by the
judgment or face penalties.

Responding to their acquittal in a statement issued and made
available to journalists in Benin; they said: “We believe the
judgment delivered today has gone a long way to restore our
reputation in the eyes of the public.

“We hope and pray that this will be the last time the head of a
government institution in Nigeria will abuse the apparatus of their
office and the state by using them to intimidate their imaginary
enemies.”

It would be recalled that the same court had in 2015, also
struck out a case of felony of padlocking the main entrance to the
hospital with a key and chain on November 12, 2014, preferred
against a Consultant Psychiatrist with the Hospital, Dr. Ambrose
Lawani, over the inability of the prosecutors to prove their case
which was instituted in December 2014.