ABUJA – There was pandemonium at the Federal High Court in Abuja, yesterday, as a man who gave his name as Musa Inuah Dalhatu, climbed a telecom mast located within the court, saying he would commit suicide unless the Chief Judge invoked his powers and compels former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to pay him a N15 million debt.
Inuah, a middle aged man, alleged that he had executed a project for the former Vice President while he was in power to the tune of N15m, saying efforts to recover the money had proved abortive.
Hanging precariously at the zenith of the mast which is equivalent of a 15-storey building, the protester said he would not come down until either Atiku was produced in court or the Inspector General of Police agrees to investigate the veracity of his allegation with a view to recovering his money.
All entreaties for Inuah who was sighted on top of the mast around 12:15 yesterday, fell on deaf ears till around 4pm when a rescue team comprising of officers from the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA; Nigeria Federal Fire Service and a team of Police officers led by an Assistant Commissioner of Police, Sunday Odukoya and the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr Moshood Jimoh, finally persuaded him to come down around 4:25pm yesterday.
Investigations by Vanguard revealed that the man had earlier approached the High Court registry with a copy of his petition against Atiku, demanding to see the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta.
Upon perusing the documents he tendered, the court clerk advised him to go and engage the services of a legal practitioner, stressing that he could not see the CJ unless he was in the company of his lawyer.
The court clerk equally urged Inuah to take the case before a High Court in Adamawa state, stressing that the High Court in Abuja was without the requisite jurisdiction to entertain the case.
Dissatisfied with the treatment meted out to him by the court officials, Inuah started creating a scene at the registry located at the 3rd floor of the court complex , an action that forced security men to order him out of the court premises.
Immediately he stepped outside the court, Inua quickly ran to the back of the building and climbed the telecom mast.
A source at the court said Inua had told a security man that accosted him when he was going to the back of the building that he was going to ease himself.
Armed with a copy of his protest letter entitled “I will not come down until the Federal Government and Nigerians come into this matter”, the man started shouting, thereby drawing attention.
From right: Inuah on top of the mast and being whisked away by security men.
The said letter was copied to the IGP, the National Human Right Commission, NHRC, Public Complaint Commission, Brigadier Commander Nigerian Army Yola, Adamawa state governor, the Director of SSS Adamawa state, and the Adamawa state Emirate Council.
Shortly after he came down yesterday, the man was whisked away by the police and taken to the Police Headquarters in Abuja.
Meantime, media aide to the former Vice President, Mr Garba Shehu, yesterday, dismissed Inua’s allegation, saying he is mentally deranged.
According to Shehu, “We honestly suspect that this man is mental, if there is one Nigerian who pays all his bills that one is Atiku Abubakar. If the idea of this pole climber is to get N2million from the Turaki, this certainly is not the best way to go about it.
“Were it left to me, I will say that the man should simply be ignored. He will climb down when he gets tired of staying up there.”
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