A passenger named Obiajulu Ujah who caused a commotion by expressing anti-Tinubu sentiments on a Lagos-bound Ibom Air flight has been remanded in the Kuje prison by a Magistrate Court in Abuja. The defendant is facing a criminal charge in case number CR/08/23, filed by the Commissioner of Police in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT. The Magistrate, Abdulazeel Ismail Muhammed of the FCT Magistrate Court, has ordered the defendant to remain in prison for one month while medical experts assess his mental health.
The ruling was made on Thursday in Zuba Magisterial District. Magistrate Muhammed utilized Section 278(3) & (4) of the ACJA, 2015 due to the urgent need for medical attention. According to this section, if the court is unconvinced of the defendant’s ability to defend themselves, the trial will be postponed, and the individual may be remanded for a maximum of one month. During this remand, a medical officer will oversee the defendant and provide a written assessment of their mental state before the end of the period. If the medical officer is unable to form a definite opinion, they will inform the court and request a further remand of up to three months.
Magistrate Muhammed ordered that the defendant be remanded for medical observation for one month, stating that the Federal Government of Nigeria will bear the cost of the necessary medical treatment for the defendant, as provided by the medical personnel. He also noted that the Kuje Correctional Facility has the requisite medical personnel to monitor the defendant.