BUHARI’S APPOINTMENT: Keyamo runs as businessman confronts him

It was drama at the premises of the Anambra State Federal High Court, Awka, on Friday as an angry business man confronted and verbally attacked Mr. Festus Keyamo (SAN) over his recent appointment as spokesman for President Muhammadu Buhari’s campaign for the 2019 general elections.

The attack by the businessman, Bobby Uzochukwu, led Keyamo, who was addressing the press at the court complex, to abruptly end his interaction with the newsmen, quickly entered his car and left the scene.

President Muhammadu Buhari had recently appointed Keyamo as the Director of Strategic Communications for his 2019 presidential campaigns.

The businessman on sighting Keyamo at the court premises confronted him, shouting and describing him as a sellout for choosing to serve Buhari.

Branding Keyamo’s acceptance of Buhari’s appointment as “betrayal in the highest order”, the Uzochukwu, who said that Keyamo is his friend, noted that he would have done worst things to him had he not fled the scene.

“I know Keyamo. He’s my friend. I was surprised when I heard that he accepted to serve Buhari. This is a betrayal of the highest order. We thought Keyamo would replace the late Gani Fawehinmi; but see what he has done, consenting to serve somebody who has no interest of the people at heart.

“I would have done more things to him this afternoon, but as you can see, he ran away,” he said.

Keyamo was at the court as a counsel for a defendant in a suit on the August 6 killings at St. Philip’s Catholic Church, Ozubulu, Anambra State, which is before the Awka Federal High Court.

The case was recently transferred from the Nnewi High Court to the Awka High Court for security reasons.

Earlier in the court, a witness, Nkwado Onyeka, had explained to the court how the suspects in the Ozubulu church killings had prior to the incident requested for the sum of $1 million from the Ozubulu people in South Africa for them to stop the killings in the community.

According to Onyeka, who used to be the President of the Ozubulu Development Union in South Africa, that request was the beginning of the ugly event that took place in the community.

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According to him, the gang, led by one Chinedu Akpunonu, killed “my wife” and six other prominent Ozubulu persons living in South Africa, adding that “After the burial of my wife, another prominent son of Ozubulu, Nnoso Ikedinobi, was murdered; another person, Udoamaka was murdered, and by May 2016, Ozubulu people had lost six persons in South Africa, and Afam and Dozila claimed responsibility.”

According to him, Afam and Dozila had also owned up to the killings of worshippers in Ozubulu.

When cross-examined by Keyamo, counsel for Akpunonu, Onyeka said that he did not report the alleged murder cases to security agencies.

The matter was subsequently adjourned by the presiding judge, Justice F. I. Aniukwu, to May 4, 11 and 25 respectively.

 

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