• Surety deserts embattled PDP spokesman in the middle of trial
• Metuh moves to replace her with deputy senate president, Ike Ekweremadu
When your bondswoman changes horses midstream, there is always a whale of undercurrents scaring the wits out of her and causing her to turncoat and be disloyal. But only Olisa Metuh possesses deep understanding of this fact. The embattled People’s Democratic Party (PDP) spokesman is currently grappling with his desertion by his surety as you read. Having been through a lot in the last few months, Metuh woke up to a rude shock as his surety, Olugbumi Usim-Wilson, has filed an application to withdraw as one of the two sureties to the former PDP spokesman standing trial for alleged money laundering. Usim-Wilson made this known on Monday at the resumed trial at the Federal High Court, Abuja.
In the application, filed before Justice Okon Abang and dated October 4, she prayed the court to remove her name from Metuh’s list of sureties. Metu reacted by filing an application, dated October 14, praying the court to allow him replace Usim with Wilson Ike Ekweremadu, deputy senate president. However, Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), counsel to Metuh, observed that if the application for withdrawal was taken before that of replacement, his client might risk returning to prison.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had filed a seven-count charge of criminal breach of trust, corruption and money laundering against Metuh. It accused him of receiving N400 million from the former Sambo Dasuki, a retired colonel and former national security adviser, allegedly part of a $2.1 billion meant for arms procurement allegedly diverted by Dasuki.
