Unic Press UK: Orji Uzor Kalu, a former Abia State Governor is no longer on bail following a ruling a Federal High Court, Lagos.
The court had ordered the 1st defendant Kalu to appear in court Monday after his legal counsel Awa Kalu had, on November 5, 2018, informed the court that his client traveled out of the country for a medical treatment; but Kalu failed to attend court.
In a ruling Monday, Judge Mohammed Idris said that the decision to revoke bail is predicated on the 1st defendant Kalu travelling out of Nigeria without court approval, and flouting court order that he appears in court for the continuation of the case. Judge Idris said:
“In the circumstances, I’m constrained to revoke the bail granted to the first defendant. The first defendant is permitted to continue his medical treatment abroad unharrassed by security agencies. Upon the first defendant’s return into the country, he shall, at the point of entry, surrender his passport and other relevant travel documents to the EFCC. He shall also surrender himself to the EFCC within 24 hours of his return, failing which he shall be arrested and detained by the EFCC. Let me state that there is no doubt that the first defendant is entitled to and has a right to life; he has a right to seek medical treatment within and outside the shores of Nigeria; this right is further guaranteed by the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In enjoying these rights, the first defendant has a duty to follow due process of the law. In this case, the first defendant acted outside the purview of the law and he is expected to be dealt with in accordance with the law,”, the Nigeria Lawyer reported.
The case commenced in 2007 when the Federal Government arraigned Kalu and two others over fraud and money laundering.
