Human rights lawyer, Festus Keyamo has written to the comptroller-general of the Nigerian prisons Services to complain of plans to kill Charles Okah by prison officials.
In the letter, Keyamo alleged that prison officials are denying Okah, who is being held in Kuje prisons on allegations of masterminding the 1st October 2010 Independence Day bombing, access to medical care.
“We are solicitors to Mr. Charles Okah, (hereinafter referred to as “Our Client”), and on whose firm instruction we write. It is our brief that on 7th January 2014, the Kuje Prisons Clinic issued a drug prescription for the treatment of the High Blood Pressure and Hypertensive ailment of our client, specifically Amlodipine 10mg. Find attached a copy of the prescription”, Keyamo wrote.
“On 9th January 2014 when the wife, Mrs. Okah visited our client in Prisons, she was informed that the said drugs have not been bought due to lack of finance, and as such she was requested to purchase them for our client. Consequently, our client’s wife immediately purchased the said drugs and handed same over to the Prisons Officer in Charge, DCP Felix Lawrence, who seized them and refused to administer same to our client, thereby denying him medication till date, despite his critical health condition. The said DCP, Felix Lawrence further said that his action is based on the press release by the family of our client on 13th January 2014 (where they raised alarm about his health condition), and that no one can do anything about it”.
Keyam described the conduct of DCP Felix Lawrence as very worrisome, in addition to several other inhuman treatments meted to his client in Kuje Prisons. He said several events, which are calculated attempts to sniff out his life, have repeatedly occurred, which include intentional denial of medication, refusal to administer the correct and appropriate drugs when prescribed by the Prisons Clinic, the initial refusal to fumigate the cell and the subsequent fumigation while his client was inside, the discovery of a scorpion in the cell and various other life-threatening events.
“The foregoing suggest beyond doubt that there is a plot to kill our client in Kuje Prisons. This is more so because our client, who has only one kidney is hypertensive and also suffers High Blood Pressure regularly. It is noteworthy that it was circumstances of this nature that led to the death of Tiemkemfa Osovwo (alias General Gbokos) sometime in 2012. It is likely that similar fate may befall our client if urgent action is not taken about our complaint”, he wrote on.
“We hereby urge you to use your good offices to compel DCP Felix Lawrence to release and administer the said drugs to Mr. Charles Okah in custody of the Kuje Prisons within 24 hours from the time of your receipt of this letter”.
He add that in the event that our demand herein is not complied with, we shall take further steps to enforce the fundamental human rights of his client, including, but not limited to, an action in court.
