Drama  as Ime Umanah Lawyer Drills SSS Chief

An Uyo High Court in Akwa Ibom State, will on Tuesday, February 1, continue with an unfolding drama in the state over an alleged threat to life of Governor Godswill Akpabio.  Ikemesit Iyire, an applicant, and the former Chairman of Newswatch Communications Ltd, Ime Sampson Umanah, are facing charges of terrorism and threat to life contrary to Section 6 (1) (b) and punishable under sub-section 6 (2) of the state Internal Securitym and Enforcement Law 2009.

 The second count charge against Ime Umanah, is sponsoring terrorism and threat to the life of Governor Akpabio, contrary to Section 10 (1) (c) and punishable under section 10 (2) of the state Internal Security and Enforcement Law 2009  It was  gathered  that there was  a mild drama took place last Thursday in court when the defence team of the two accused persons started to cross-examine Mr. Fubara Duke, an Assistant Director of the State Security Service (SSS) in Akwa Ibom, who is the first prosecution witness (PW1).

 Before then, the prosecuting state counsel, Mr. C. J. Udo, who stood in for the state Attorney-General and Justice Commissioner, Mr. Ekpenyong Ntekim, opened a trial within a trial by calling Duke to the witness box. The prosecution witness, who is the SSS chief in-charge of Security Enforcement in Akwa Ibom, told the court that the he conducted investigations into the alleged threat to life of Governor Akpabio.

 Duke said he told the first accused person, Ikemesit Iyire, that he had cause to believe that he, the accused person and his mobile phone were responsible for transmitting text messages to Governor Akpabio.  The SSS chief told the court that two text messages allegedlyn sent to the governor, were forwarded to him. ''I read the text messages to the first accused person and he admitted sending same to the governor'', he told the court.

 He claimed that the accused person was alone when he wrote his confessional statement on October 25, 2010. ''After writing his statement, i took him to a senior officer, Moses Eno, to re-examine him. The documentation of the accused confession was later brought to me'', he said.Drama, however, started when the lead defence counsel, Mr. Samuel Ikpo, began cross-examining the SSS chief. The obviously unsettled witness on many occasions had to lean on the witness box. The trial Chief Judge, Justice Idongesit Ntem-Isua, asked him; ''Do you have problem standing?''

 ''No, my lord'', the testifying SSS chief said. But, in spite of his response, he remained fidgety in the witness box till the matter was adjourned to Tuesday week. Duke also told the court that he detailed three officers to effect the arrest of the first accused person at Ikot Ekpene, but that he cannot recall whether the security operatives used more than one vehicle for the operation.

 He said some of the SSS operatives on the arrest mission were armed with guns. But when the defence counsel asked whether the guns included AK 47 rifles, the witness exploded, ''are you the one who gave it to them?'' The prosecuting state counsel promptly apologised to the court for the unexpected conduct, and led him to point out that the security organisation does not use AK 47 rifles. Hearing continues on Tuesday, February 1.