Court orders arrest of varsity don over election infractions

A High Court in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, has ordered the arrest of Professor Ignatius Uduk, a Nigerian academic accused of election fraud.

The professor, who serves as a lecturer of Human Kinetics at the University of Uyo, is facing charges of perjury and announcing false election results during the 2019 general elections in Essien Udim State Constituency, Akwa Ibom State, where he acted as the returning officer as reported by Premium Times.

The court’s decision was made after Professor Uduk failed to appear in court, prompting the judge, Justice Bassey Nkanang, to adjourn the case for an hour.

Upon resuming the hearing, Justice Nkanang was informed that the defence counsel was unwell and had requested another lawyer, Ndifreke Inyangette, to represent him. Mr. Inyangette revealed that the defence counsel had communicated with him via text message.

The prosecution counsel subsequently prayed the court to revoke Professor Uduk’s bail and issue a fresh bench warrant for his arrest. He asked the court to deliver judgment, with sentencing to be determined at a later date.

Justice Nkanang ruled in favour of the prosecution counsel, revoking Professor Uduk’s bail and issuing a fresh bench warrant. The case was adjourned until February 5 for judgment.

Professor Uduk’s troubles began in December 2020 when he was first arraigned in court. An arrest warrant had been issued against him the previous month due to his repeated failures to appear for the commencement of the trial.

The case has experienced numerous delays due to various factors, including a change of defence counsel and the defendant’s collapse in the dock during cross-examination.