The police will arraign Mr. Obiajulu Uja, who was recently arrested for causing a commotion on an Ibom Air flight, on Monday.
Uja’s lawyer, Ejike Ugwu, said this while disclosing that his client is mentally ill and therefore unfit to stand trial.
He said he was at the Airport Police Division to see his client, who hails from Oji-River Local Government Area of Enugu State.
“The DPO said the man will be charged on Monday; this is a man that we said is mentally ill. Have you conducted any medical examination on him to know whether he is mentally fit to be charged to court? On what grounds are you charging?” The Punch quoted the lawyer as saying.
Recall that a video went viral on Friday showing Uja being bundled off a plane after saying that President-elect Bola Tinubu must not be inaugurated on May 29.
Ugwu disclosed that his client is a former bank worker in Lagos who has been in Abuja for a few weeks.
“The man worked with Zenith Bank until he developed some health issues. Some days ago, Riz Continental Hotel, Abuja, chased him away from the hotel because of his mental instability,” the lawyer said.
According to Ugwu, Uja bought three tickets on Friday for Lagos State but on getting to the airport, he (Uja) had issues with almost all the airlines before he eventually boarded Ibom Air.
The lawyer said when he asked his client what happened, “he told us that he wanted to market his products and that he was just trying to get the attention of the passengers when he raised the issue of Asiwaju will not be sworn in.”
“If you go through his social media, you will understand that he is not even a member of the Obedient movement. But the long and short of it is that the man is mentally unstable.
“After he was arrested and the DPO saw reports in the media, the DPO confided in me that the man is not a normal person.
“It’s just the system; I told the DPO that you do not even need a medical certificate from the family but as an investigator, employ the services of a psychiatrist to confirm the mental stability of the man. But as I speak with you, I left the police station around 5pm and we have not seen the DPO today in the station.”
He added, “I told the DPO that this man needs medical attention immediately before the whole system will collapse.
“He has a kidney problem; if you see his legs you will see how swollen they are. You can only investigate someone that is alive.”