Please Have Mercy on Olisa Metuh; PDP Begs

Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] has begged the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, to look into the continuous refusal of travel leave to the party’s national spokesperson, Olisa Metuh.

Metuh, who is currently on trial for allegedly collecting N400m and another millions of Dollars from the office of the National Security Adviser, had been appealing to the court in order for him to travel abroad for medical treatment.

The PDP said in the spirit of democracy and freedom, Metuh should be allowed to allowed to travel.

Appealing to the CJN in a statement issued on Sunday by its spokesperson, Gani Taofik, the PDP asked him to give his opinion on the denial of the request by Metuh.

The party said in view of Metuh’s family ties to the country, he would not run away in order to evade trial.

The PDP said, “We ask the state not to take the ordinary prosecution to be a persecution as the whole efforts would be defeated if, God forbid, the defendant becomes permanently incapacitated due to lack of medical care for his peculiar ailments.

“He (Metuh) has survived several attacks and we think that this prosecution should not turn into persecution. We are of the belief that it is not the wish of the judicial system that a defendant dies or is permanently incapacitated during trial in circumstances that are ordinarily avoidable. Olisa Metuh is a lawyer and is aware of the implication of jumping bail. He is not likely to jump bail. We appeal that justice should be tempered with mercy as this is very appropriate in this circumstance."