Air Passenger Who Protested Against Tinubu’s Inauguration Remanded In Prison

A man said to be mentally ill that was aboard an Abuja-Lagos flight, has been arraigned before the Zuba Magistrates’ Court, Abuja and remanded in prison custody over his lone protest on the aircraft on Friday.

The passenger identified as Obiajulu Uja was carried off a Lagos-Abuja flight, after he began a protest, demanding that the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, must never be sworn in as president on May 29.

The scene which was captured in a video that emerged on social media on Saturday saw more than six airport security officers to evacuate him after holding up the aircraft for more than an hour, as the 6 pm flight had yet to move as of 7 pm.

A copy of the charge sheet sighted showed that Uja was charged with “public nuisance, resistance to a lawful arrest, threatening violence and conduct likely to cause a breach of peace contrary to sections 396, 267,188,172 and 144 of the Penal Code Law”, according to Punch.

The lawyer said, “He was arraigned at the Zuba Magistrates’ Court after they deceived us because yesterday he was taken to Muhammadu Buhari Police Hospital, Area 11 Abuja.”

The lawyer, who spoke to the news platform in Abuja noted that his client was admitted at the Muhammadu Buhari Police Hospital, adding that the hospital did not have a psychiatrist doctor, and psychologist that to examine him.

He, however, said a doctor was invited from National Hospital, Abuja to examine Uja but the efforts unfortunately was futile.

“While we were there, it was around 3pm they told us that they wanted to arraign him in Zuba Magistrates’ Court.

“We reminded the court that the same police invited the doctor to examine him, and the same police instead of waiting for the doctors to examine him hurriedly charged him to court.

“Even with the test we did, we spent almost N40,000 at the Police clinic, all the tests they conducted we abandoned all of them; they have not prescribed any medicine.

“The way the police are handling it is as if they have an interest in the matter because you took somebody to a police clinic, you are coming to court to tell the court you want the person to be remanded in prison because you want to continue the investigation.

“Until now we do not know the result of the test that was conducted in the hospital because they hurriedly took him away from the hospital,” the lawyer said,

Ugwu further noted that his client’s bail application was coming up on Thursday.