My Witnesses Are Being Threatened, JT Usenis’s Counsel Alleges

By Moses GbandeThe lead counsel to Senator Jeremiah Useni and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in the ongoing Petitions against Governor Simon Bako Lalong of Plateau state Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN) has raised allegations the lives and properties of witnesses he intend to call from the southern zone of Plateau state are being threatened.Chief Ozekhome who disclosed this before the tribunal seating in Jos said it was one of the reasons why they were not able to call the fifteen witnesses that actually came to testify before the tribunal during the Wednesday seating.He inform the tribunal that he was not actually happy with the impression given after he left the tribunal on Wednesday that he intends to delay or distract the the tribunal by not taken withnesses after tendering another set of doucuments at the bar.This sparked out little disagreements between counsels to second and third respondents, Pius Akubo, (SAN) and Garba Pwul (SAN), respectively, on grounds that the petitioners counsel was to draw the tribunal back on matter that had been ruled upon.Pius Akubo (NAN) on his part, discribed Chief Ozekhome’s submission as frivolous and an Attempt to digress the attention of the tribunal and urged the Lordships to disregard such allegation, stressing that the petitioners counsel had before leaving the tribunal notified them that witnesses were not yet around and sought for an adjournment, and why was he introducing new issues.On his part, Garba Pwul said it would amount to grave affront on the judiciary for criticizing a rulling on the bar .But Chief Ozekhome took an exception, saying he was not challenging the rulling, but rather wants to inform the tribunal that if he was not serious he couldnt have left Abuja 3 minutes to 5 O’Clock in the morning without any security just to come and tender documents in Jos and start going back.”We were actually ready to take fifteen witnesses, but there was a threat on the witnesses that if they insist to testify, they should rather remain in Jos, or if they retruned home they would be killed like what had happened in Jos North in 2015″.He said threat to lives are issues that can’t be taken lightly, and expressed Worries saying if such continues the matter might not end at the tribunal.He challenged defendants counsels to desist from crying more than the bereaved.”I am above 60 now, and i am 38 years on the bar, so we aré here for a serious business, we cannot distract or delay the tribunal. It is our case and we are within the time given to us to call our witnesses, so if there is a delay it will count against us, so why are you crying more than the bereaved’.Chief Ozekhome however said they were ready to progress and sought to tender additional batch of documents they intend to rely upon during the tribunal proceedings.