Chief Edozie Njoku, a factional leader of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), has a bench warrant for his arrest from the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Bwari, Abuja.
A 14-count criminal complaint alleging the forgery of a Supreme Court judgment and letters on the stationary of retired Justice Mary Peter-Odili is being brought against Chief Njoku and one Chukwuemeka Nwoga.
The defendants had been served with summonses and were aware of their arraignment when the case was called, but they declined to appear in court, according to the prosecution attorney and chief superintendent of police, Mr. Rimamsonte Ezekiel.
Mr. Ezekiel requested that the court issue a bench warrant for the two defendants’ arrests in order to require their appearance.
The first defendant, Chief Njoku, was currently outside the court’s jurisdiction and would be requesting a brief adjournment to return from his trip to Imo State, according to counsel for the defendants, Mr. Panam Ntui. He also claimed that the defendants had not been personally served as required by law.
The court eventually decided that the prosecution’s request should be granted because the defendant’s actions were intentional and premeditated.
As a result, he issued an order for the defendant’s arrest and postponed their arraignment until this month’s 28th.