MEND Alleges Plan To Doctor Okah's Psychiatric Test
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Claims responsibility for attack on ex-militant Ogunboss, police escort SAN FRANCISCO, February 10, (THEWILL) - The outlawed Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) weekend raised the alarm over what it described as a grand plan by the Federal Government to doctor the psychiatric test on Charles Okah, a prime suspect in the 2010 Independent Day bomb blast in Abuja.
The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja had adjourned proceedings on Okah's case to April 2 to enable three psychiatrists to re-evaluate Okah's mental health in order to determine his fitness to stand trial.
The issue of his health had become a subject of debate after his lawyers claimed that he was not mentally fit to face trial over his alleged involvement in the bombing.
But the Federal Government is insisting that he was only pretending, and that he is fit enough to be prosecuted.
MEND's spokesman, Jomo Gbomo, said in a statement on Sunday that the group has uncovered an orchestrated plot allegedly by the Federal Government prosecutor, Dr Alex Iziyon (SAN), the SSS, National Hospital Medical Director and Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee, to fraudulently insert a paragraph into the space that was deliberately created between the original last paragraph to look like Okah is fit to stand trail against the actual result by the consultant psychiatrist.
"The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has learnt from a reliable source inside the National Hospital, Abuja that the last paragraph concluding the psychiatric evaluation report dated January 09, 2014 was doctored.
"This paragraph concluded that Mr Charles Okah was happy with the judge and was fit for his trial; contradicting the body of the report which listed several serious mental conditions including memory loss, psychotic depression, auditory and visual hallucinations.
"It even mentioned that Charles Okah could not recall the number of children he has and imagined he was in the Judges chamber instead of a physician's consulting room! "A wide range of symptoms he exhibited according to the report are related to the side effect of the drug epilim sodium valproate which was prescribed by the National Hospital and forcefully administered to him by the Nigerian Prisons even after he had complained of the adverse effect it was having on him.
"Our source revealed that a devious and desperate government Prosecutor, Dr Alex Iziyon (SAN), the SSS, National Hospital Medical Director and Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee, fraudulently inserted the paragraph into the space that was deliberately created between the original last paragraph and the signature, and inserted the doctored paragraph after the document was signed by an unsuspecting consultant psychiatrist who could not be persuaded to make such an unethical and unprofessional compromise.
"The cat was let out of the bag after Charles Okah's lawyer pointed out the contradiction between the body of the report and the conclusion to an already suspicious Judge, who then ordered for another psychiatric evaluation to be conducted and signed by three (3) psychiatrists before the next adjourned date of February 05, 2014.
"The consultant psychiatrist on discovering the unethical conduct by her superiors bluntly refused to carry out a further evaluation which is the real reason why no new report was available in court on February 05, 2014.
"To avoid exposing this national disgrace, the matter was discussed inside the Judge's chamber while the official line was to lie that the re-evaluation was not carried out because the National Hospital had just one psychiatrist and needed two more to sign.
"They also sighted 'National Security," the statement said, adding "Since when did a medical evaluation report become a 'national security' matter to be discussed in private?" MEND also lamented that the National Hospital has joined the list of government agencies allegedly being used to destroy perceived enemies of the State.
The allegation came as MEND claimed responsibility for the Saturday, February 08 attack on two police gunboats escorting one Eris Paul (aka Ogunboss) whom MEND described as "a traitor", at Peremabiri, Southern Ijaw Local Government of Bayelsa State.
The group said the attack was similar to the April 06, 2013 attack carried out on 15 police officers on the day 'Hurricane Exodus' was launched.
According to MEND, "Ogunboss and several others now hiding in the cities, sold their birthrights for contracts and political appointments to the detriment of a just cause.
"They are now persona non grata in the creeks, and their lives and ill-gotten properties have become subject to legitimate targets for destruction.
In the words of our hero, the great Madiba, Nelson Mandela, 'No self-respecting freedom fighter would take orders from a government he is fighting against or jettison a long time ally in the interest of pleasing an antagonist.
' "It is not yet uhuru for the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) which has announced the completion of repairs on the Escravos-Lagos gas pipeline attacked by Hurricane Exodus.
"Nigerians should not expect improvement in power availability through gas pipelines until the root issues that led to militancy in the Niger Delta have been addressed or discussed.
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