Appeal court rejects Metuh’s request to seek medical treatment abroad

The appeal court has dismissed a suit filed by Olisa Metuh, former spokesman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to travel abroad for medical treatment.

In a ruling on Wednesday, the appellate court maintained that Metuh’s application was “an abuse of court process”, as he failed to disclose cogent reasons for him to seek medical attention abroad.

The former PDP spokesman, through his counsel, Onyechi Ikpeazu, had approached the court of appeal seeking to upturn the decision of a federal high court which ordered that his international passport should not be released to him .

Metuh had asked for his travelling documents for him to travel to the United Kingdom for five weeks to attend to “his failing health”.

Okon Abang, the trial judge, had dismissed the application as “lacking in merit”, and sternly warned his counsel against deploying tactics to delay the trial, which has been on since January 6, 2016.

“There is nothing before this court, no substance in the application filed by the appellant, the court is urged to dismiss the appellant’s application,” Abdul Aboki, the presiding judge of the appellate court, ruled.

Aboki also dismissed the application on the transfer of the case from Abang based on bias.

“There is nothing before this court that shows that the trial court is biased. The appeal is without substance and is hereby dismissed,” Aboki ruled.

Metuh is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for alleged N400 million fraud. His trial is set to continue before Abang on February 25, 2019.