No room for delay tactics. An Abuja High Court has struck out multiple motions filed by Abuja-based lawyer Victor Giwa, including one seeking the recusal of Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie, describing them as incompetent and aimed at stalling trial.
Giwa, who is standing trial alongside a co-defendant over alleged document forgery and impersonation of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), had accused the judge of bias and asked him to step aside. The court disagreed.
Justice Onwuegbuzie ruled that petitions to the Chief Judge or the NJC do not automatically stop criminal proceedings, adding that Giwa’s refusal to move his own motions amounted to disobedience of court orders and a pattern of obstruction.
The prosecution insisted the case had already begun, accusing Giwa of deliberately frustrating proceedings. In a brief ruling, the judge struck out all the pending defence motions and adjourned the case to January 26 for the prosecution to proceed.
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