A bailiff of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday gave an indication that he would, on December 11, 2017, might be able to serve former President Goodluck Jonathan the subpoena summoning him to testify as a defence witness in the trial of a former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Olisa Metuh.
This was contained in an affidavit filed by the bailiff informing the court that several attempts to serve the former President in his Abuja home had failed.
The bailiff, whose affidavit was read by a court registrar during the Monday’s proceedings, stated that at the last attempt to serve Jonathan, a guard said the former President, said to have travelled abroad, would only be available on December 11.
Reading from the bailiff’s affidavit, the registrar said the bailiff was asked to return to the residence in the afternoon of December 11 to serve the former President.
In response, Metuh’s lawyer, Mr. Emeka Etiaba (SAN), said he, the lead defence counsel, Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), and Metuh himself, had received threats to their lives following their move to have Jonathan summoned to testify in the case.
But he said the threat would not yield to the threat as they would insist Jonathan testify in the case.
Etiaba said, “This subpoena is one that has generated quite a lot of controversy, not just to our client but to myself.
“The threat goes to the life of the first defendant, myself and Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu.
“This will not make us change our mind as to whether His Excellency, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, will come and testify or not. But we shall only plead with this honourable court to allow that we make another attempt on December 11, 2017 at serving him with the subpoena.”
