Judge Rejects Defence Lawyer’s Request to Withdraw After Metuh’s Fall

Mr. Emeka Etiaba (SAN), a defence lawyer to a former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Mr. Olisa Metuh, announced his withdrawal from the case during the Monday’s proceedings of Metuh’s trial before the Federal High Court in Abuja.Etiaba announced his withdrawal from the case after the judge, Justice Okon Abang, insisted that the trial would continue in the aftermath of Metuh’s fall while the proceedings were about to begin Monday.
Metuh fell while making his way to the dock.
The judge insisted that the defence should call its next witness.
“It will be against all procedure of trial to say I want to continue when my client is lying down and I don’t know whether he is dead or alive,” Etiaba said.
But the judge refused Etiaba’s application to withdraw from the trial, saying “it is an attempt to delay this trial”.
The lawyer however, while he remained in the court, insisted that he had withdrawn from the case.