PH
Larry Selekeowei, counsel to former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godsday Orubebe and Justice Danladi Umar-led panel of the CCT were engaged in a ‘war of words’ during Orubebe’s CCT trial.
The clash followed moves by the Director of Public Prosecution, DPP, Mohammed Diri, to tender into evidence, the Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) and the Right of Occupancy (R of O), of Plot No. 2057 Asokoro District Abuja, which Orubebe was said to have failed to declare as his property.
The DPP had through the star witness the federal government brought to testify against the former Minister, Samuel Madojemu, who is an investigative officer at the Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB, attempted to tender the documents into evidence.
Meanwhile, the war-of-words ensued at a point Orubebe’s lawyer was adducing reasons why the documents and an accompanying letter from the Federal Capital Territory Department of Land Administration, should not be admitted into evidence. Mid way into his submission, one of the Judges on the CCT panel, Agwaza Atedze, interjected and asked the defence lawyer to streamline his argument to specific contents of the document before the tribunal.
The remark angered Selekeowei, who “rudely” reprimanded the Judge for unduly interfering with his submission.
