Alleged Assault: Court Admits CCTV Footage, Statements As Evidence Against Sen. Elisha Abbo

A Magistrates’ Court sitting in Zuba, Abuja on Tuesday admitted
two discs from a CCTV footage and Certificate of Compliance as
evidence in the trial of Sen. Elisha Abbo.

The police charged Abbo on July 8 for criminal force and assault
which is contrary to section 263 and 264 of penal code law.

Magistrate Abdullahi Illelah held that the documents tendered
were relevant and admissible in evidence.

”It is left to the court to determine if a particular document
or exhibit tendered before it complies with requirement of the law
or not.

”The court hereby admits the statements of Sen. Elisha Abbo and
medical report which the nominal complainant obtained from Mega
EyeSight as exhibits in the trial,” he held.

Illelah adjourned the matter until Jan. 9, 2020 for the
continuation of hearing while the bail granted to Abbo continues on
the same terms and conditions.

Earlier, the prosecution witness, Mr James Idachaba tendered the
exhibits through the second prosecution witness ASP Mary
Daniel.

The witness told the court that she was attached to the Criminal
Investigation Department (CID), FCT Police Command and was the
Investigating Police Officer (IPO) in the case against the
defendant (Sen. Abbo).

Daniel alleged that on May 14, the case criminal force and
assault contrary to section 262, 263 and 264 of the Penal Code Law
was reported at Maitama Divisional Station by the nominal
complainant Ms Anyata Wormate.

She added that the case was transferred to the FCT Police
Command and it was assigned to her to investigate, subsequently she
went to the scene of the crime at Pleasure Chest Shop, FA45, Banex
Plaza.

According to her, the shop was then locked and one Mr Onyekachi
Chukwu told me that the owner of the shop travelled out of
Abuja.

“On July 3, invitation letter was sent to the nominal
complainant and the defendant through the Clerk of the National
Assembly.

“On July 4, voluntary explanatory statement was obtained from
the nominal complainant and the defendant also provides his
statement under caution and later the defendant was later granted
bail on the same day,’’ she said.

The witness told the court that the nominal complainant brought
CCTV footage discs with a certificate of compliance and forensic
analysis could not be obtained because the camera where the video
was extracted was with one Kemi.

Daniel added that all efforts to get across to Kemi (a sales
girl in the shop where the incidence happened) proved abortive.

The witness said that she also went back to Maitama Divisional
Police office to obtain the statement of Mrs Alaba Udeme the mother
of the nominal complainant.

She added that she went to the mega eyesight to confirm whether
or not the nominal complainant was treated there, and the clinic
confirmed to the witness that the complainant was treated
there.

The Defense counsel Mr Adegbite Adeniyi objects to the
admissibility of the discs, medical certificate from mega eyesight
when the prosecution counsel (Idachaba) attempted to tender the
documents.

Adeniyi told the court that the medical report certificate
sought to be tendered did not comply with provision of section 257
of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.

He added that the CCTV footage discs also did not comply with
the provisions of section 84 sub B and 84 subs 5 (A) of the
Evidence Act.

In his response, the prosecution counsel urged the court to
discountenance the objection of the defense stressing that the
objections were misconceived because the witness was not the maker
the documents.

Senate to investigate NEMA over ‘selective’ disaster
response

The Senate has directed its Committees on Special Duties,
Ecology and Climate Change and Environment to investigate the
effectiveness of the National Emergency Management Agency over
disaster response in 2019.

This was even as the chamber directed the NEMA to immediately
implement a response programme for the flood disaster that affected
various communities in Demsa, Numa, Guyuk and Lamurde Local
Governments of Adamawa State.

These were resolutions reached on Tuesday sequel to the
consideration of a motion sponsored by Senator Binos Yaroe (APC,
Adamawa South).

According to Yaroe, NEMA was established by Act 50 of the 1999
constitution as amended for the purpose of managing disasters in
Nigeria.

The lawmaker who lamented a major flooding which occurred in
October 2019 as a result of release of excess water by the
authorities of Lagbo dam in Cameroon, accused NEMA of being
selective in its disaster response interventions.

“NEMA performed a disaster response action by distributing
relief materials to communities in Furore, Yola South, Yola North
and Girei Local Governments of Adamawa State affected by the
floods.

“This intervention by NEMA was not extended to other local
governments in Adamawa State along the River Benue valley equally
affected by the flood disaster.

“Although the attention of the Director-General of NEMA was
drawn to the need to provide relief materials to communities of the
four local governments in Adamawa State severely affected by the
October floods, nothing has been done; and NEMA would appear to be
selective in its disaster response interventions,” Yaroe said.

Meanwhile, the Senate on Tuesday considered a Bill for an Act to
amend the National Council on Public Procurement and Bureau of
Public Procurement Act No. 14 of 2007.

The bill which was sponsored by Senator Abdullahi Sankara is
among the three bills up for amendment of the Public Procurement
Act by the National Assembly.

According to the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, an amendment to
the Public Procurement Act would ensure a successful implementation
of the 2020 budget when passed into law by the National
Assembly.

The Public Procurement bill sponsored by Senator Sankara was
referred to the Senate Committee on Public Procurement for further
legislative work.

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