Case Against Chief Atselege, 11 Others: Court Decision In Consonant With The Criminal Justice Administration Law - Edaghese

....But Defense Counsel Abridges The Right Of His Client

By The9jaTrend

Head of the Legal Team to Late Sunny Etchie's family Barr. Mathew Edaghese has said that the decision by the Presiding Judge of High Court of Justice, Criminal Court 4, Benin City, Edo State, His Lordship, Justice Mary Ituseli to have granted the Application filed by the Learned SAN, Ighedosa Aifuwa Imadegbelo, Counsel to the Defendants was with consonance of the provision of the the Criminal Justice Administration Law, but the Defense Counsel Abridges the right of his Client.

Barr. Edaghese made the observations while responding to questions from newsmen after the presiding judge has granted the Application filed by the Learned SAN, Imadegbelo, Counsel to the Defendants.

Edaghese Esq. said, "The Court took the Application by the Learned Counsel, Immadugbelo SAN seeking leave of the court to appeal against the decision of the Court to reserve Ruling till the main case is concluded.  So, the Learned SAN decided to exercise his right of Appeal which the court has granted.

"But, we have gone through the contents of the Application seeking the leave of court - the motion in support of the Application and we discovered that the ground supporting that Application is neither here nor their; there it is stated by the Defense Counsel that what the Court did which was in consonance with the provision of the Criminal Justice Administration Law, abridges the right of his clients (the Defendants).

"I do not know how a law that is an extant law will now bend backward over to accommodate the perceived right of a party before the Court.

"The right of a party is subject to extant laws, the laws are not subject to the right of a party.

"So, it is a beat awkward for anybody to think that the law will be bent to accommodate his whims and caprices, he said.

It will be recalled that on Thursday, 29th of April, 2021, Counsel to the Defendants, Imadegbelo SAN again filed another Application seeking leave of the court to appeal against the decision of the Court to reserved Ruling till the main case is concluded and the Presiding Judge, His Lordship, Justice Mary Ituseli granted the Application.. 

Chief Johnson Atselege and 11 Others are being arraigned for the alleged conspiracy, kidnapping and murder of Mr. Sunny Etchie, the Okaighele of Kolokolo Community in Ologbo Dukedom, Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area, Edo State.