“Court Adjourns Arraignment of Lawyer and Two Others in Alleged Unlawful Eviction Case”
The Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama, Abuja, has adjourned the arraignment of a lawyer, Victor Giwa, and two others over the alleged unlawful eviction, criminal intimidation, and threat to the life of Ms. Asabe Waziri. The hearing has been rescheduled to February 17, 2025.
The adjournment came after the two accused, Cecil Osakwe and Victor Giwa, were absent from court. The case, marked CR/222/2023, was filed by the Federal Government, with the three defendants facing a nine-count charge.
The first count alleges that in 2022, the defendants, along with some police officers now at large, unlawfully broke into Ms. Waziri’s home in Maitama, Abuja, and stole her property worth N300,000,000. The property reportedly included her international passport and cash.
Other charges against the defendants include conspiring to break into the house without a court order and damaging Ms. Waziri’s property.
At a previous court session, the court had threatened to issue an arrest warrant for Giwa due to his failure to appear. On Monday, the court was again forced to adjourn after Osakwe and Giwa were absent, though the third defendant, Edith Erhunmuuse, appeared in court without legal representation.
The prosecution, led by M.O. Una, expressed frustration over the repeated adjournments and argued that the defendants were intentionally avoiding arraignment. Una also disputed claims made by Giwa’s counsel that the parties were working toward a settlement.
In response, Justice Samira Bature warned that arrest warrants would be issued for Osakwe and Giwa if they failed to appear on February 17, the date they had suggested for the next hearing. The judge also indicated that the court would consider compelling their appearance if they continued to be absent.
