In a move that has sparked significant controversy, the office of the Chief Judge of Edo State, Justice Daniel Iyobosa Okungbowa, has been inundated with letters from co-defendants in a four-year-old N5 billion libel case, urging him to reject a request by the 1st defendant, Col. Imuse (rtd), to restart the case “de novo” (from the beginning).
The case, filed by Hon. Barr. Mike Igini, has seen significant progress, with the claimant closing his case and the 2nd and 3rd defendants (Tribune and Sun) also completing their defenses.
Only Col. Imuse is left to present his defense. However, his request to restart the trial has raised concerns about further delays and increased financial burdens for the other parties involved, who have already incurred significant costs traveling from Enugu and Oyo States to Benin for court proceedings.
The co-defendants argue that Col. Imuse’s lawyer has deliberately delayed the case, failing to file a defense for three years and now seeking to restart the trial after raising new allegations only after the claimant had closed his case.
Despite the trial judge ruling that the claimant could be recalled to address these new allegations, Col. Imuse has refused to proceed with his defense and has instead filed a petition to have the case restarted.
Legal experts and the other defendants have expressed frustration over the potential for further delays, with some accusing Col. Imuse of attempting to manipulate the judicial process to avoid facing the libel charges.
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The case, originally filed before the September 2020 Edo Governorship election, has now dragged on for nearly four years, with no resolution in sight.
Renowned legal icon Abraham Oviawe criticized the handling of the case, questioning the fairness of granting a “de novo” trial to a defendant who has shown little willingness to defend himself.
He also advocated for the adoption of Lagos State’s judicial practice, where a judge continues to handle a case even after being transferred to a new division, to prevent such delays.
As the legal battle continues, all eyes are on the Chief Judge of Edo State, whose decision could set a significant precedent for the handling of long-running cases in the state’s judiciary.