Drama in court as police ‘impose strange lawyer’ on Sowore
Arrested activist Omoyele Sowore has denied knowing the lawyer who came in to represent him before a magistrate in Abuja on Monday.
The lawyer was said to have come alongside a police prosecutor.
A certain JCA Idachaba reportedly introduced himself as lawyer prosecuting for the FCT Police Command.
Another person then introduced himself as GOA Gule to represent Sowore and the four others persons who were arrested while staging a “crossover protest” on New Year’s Eve.
Sowore, according to ObjecTV, told the judge that he did not recognise any lawyer other than Femi Falana.
He insisted that his lawyer was denied knowledge of his arraignment and the charges against him, and insisted that he could not cooperate with strange lawyer in court.
Police lawyer Idachaba, however, said that the lawyer available must represent the defendants in Falana’s absence, addind that they could be replaced later.
But Sowore refused to cooperate with them.
Sowore told the court that his phones were seized by police who, although they knew his lawyer, failed to inform them of the arraignment.
The judge has asked for 10 minutes to enter her chambers and return to rule on the controversy.
