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 26, 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.
