Anti-Tinubu passenger arraigned for ‘threatening violence’, remanded in prison

A man who disrupted the take-off of an Ibom Air flight from Abuja to Lagos has reportedly been arraigned before the Zuba magistrates’ court, Abuja and remanded in prison.

On March 31, the passenger caused a scene on a 6pm flight inbound Lagos from Abuja.

TheCable had reported that the passenger was heard addressing others onboard the aircraft, saying that Bola Tinubu, the president-elect, cannot be sworn in.

According to Punch, Ejike Ugwu, the passenger’s lawyer, said on Monday that his client has been arraigned.

The passenger was said to have been charged with “public nuisance, resistance to a lawful arrest, threatening violence and conduct likely to cause a breach of peace contrary to sections 396, 267,188,172 and 144 of the Penal Code Law”.

The lawyer said his client was initially admitted to the Muhammadu Buhari Police Hospital but the facility did not have a psychiatrist doctor to examine him.

Ugwu said a doctor was, however, invited from National Hospital, Abuja to examine him.

“While we were there, it was around 3pm they told us that they wanted to arraign him in Zuba Magistrates’ Court,” he said.

“We reminded the court that the same police invited the doctor to examine him, and the same police instead of waiting for the doctors to examine him hurriedly charged him to court.

“Even with the test we did, we spent almost N40,000 at the police clinic, all the tests they conducted we abandoned all of them; they have not prescribed any medicine.

“The way the police are handling it is as if they have an interest in the matter because you took somebody to a police clinic, you are coming to court to tell the court you want the person to be remanded in prison because you want to continue the investigation.

“Until now we do not know the result of the test that was conducted in the hospital because they hurriedly took him away from the hospital.”