Charles Okah, a MEND commander who was rumoured to have staged a prison break
from Kuje Maximum Prison has issued a statement in which he predicted
his release from prison and vowed to revive the defunct militant group
which was led by his brother, Henry Okah.
Okah, who is on trial for being the the
alleged mastermind of the 2010 Independence Day bombings, revealed that
he was in an isolation unit of the Kuje Prisons for suspected Lassa
fever. He also attempted to explain how the rumour of the prison escape came to be.
In a statement from his lawyers, on
Sunday, June 24, 2016, First Law Solicitors, Charles Okah said
would never be involved in any prison break, as he is confident
of “triumphantly walking out of the Kuje Prison gates as a free and
vindicated man”.
“We are Solicitors to CHARLES TONBRA
OKAH (whom we shall hereinafter, refer to as “our client”),” read the
statement, signed by Timipa jenkins Okponipere.
“Our client has instructed us to notify
the general public that he was not involved in any manner whatsoever in
the prison break, which occurred at about 7.00pm on Friday June 24, 2016
at the Kuje Maximum Security Prison in Abuja.
“It is our client’s brief that he was
quarantined in an isolation room within the Kuje Prison Clinic for a
suspected Lassa Fever infection when news of the incident broke.
“On account of his popularity amongst
the inmates, word quickly spread that our client was among the two
inmates who escaped by scaling the 25 feet-high Kuje Prison fence. It
took almost 24 hours for the inmates and Prison Authority to realise
that our client had not escaped from the Prison.
“Our client has further instructed us to
notify all Nigerians and the international community that, God willing,
and without prejudice to his ongoing trial, he shall triumphantly walk
out of the Kuje Prison gates as a free and vindicated man. He has
already set his sights, upon his release, on working assiduously with
the current administration to bring stability to the Niger Delta region.
“He is however, using this opportunity
to appeal to the Judiciary, particularly, Hon. Justice Gabriel Kolawole,
to speedily determine his case; which has dragged on for nearly 7
years.
“Our client has further and better
instructed us to notify his kith and kin in the Niger Delta region to
give maximum support to the AARON TEAM 2; a peace initiative of the
Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) which is aimed
at dialogue with the Federal Government on the immediate, medium and
long-term future of the region.”
Okah also appealed to
militant groups in the region to “stop the attacks on oil installations
and desist from being used by disgruntled, corrupt and selfish
politicians”.
Charles Okah Prison Death Rumours And Suicide Attempt
Rumours of the death of Charles Okah began to circulate on social media on October 7, 2015. The story, which made it to some blogs, reported that Okah passed away under suspicious circumstances in Kuje Prison, Abuja.
In response to enquiries from The Trent, the Nigeria Prison Service has issued a press statement saying that Okah is “hale and hearty”, “alive” in the “safe custody” of the service.
In an appearance at a Federal High Court in Abuja, Tuesday, October 6, Okah reportedly attempted to commit suicide by jumping out of a sixth floor window in the courthouse. He was restrained by security officials from making the leap.
Henry Okay, elder brother of Charles,
was convicted of masterminding the bombing in a South African Court in
2013. He was found guilty of 13 counts, including twin bombing on
Nigeria’s 50th independence day that killed 12 people. He is currently
serving a 24-year jail sentence in a South African prison.
In 2014, Henry Okah attempted a prison break.
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