Tempers Flare In Court Over Adjournment of Nigerian Prophet’s Drug Trafficking Case

TEMPERS today flared in the Lusaka Magistrates’ Court between the prosecution and defence over the adjournment of the case in which a Nigerian prophet Isaac Amata (r) is accused of drug trafficking.

This was after the prosecution failed to commence trial due to the absence of witnesses.

Magistrate Brian Simachela adjourned the matter to February 14 for trial.

Prophet Amata, 45 is alleged to have trafficked in 26.29 kilograms of Ephedrine on January 24 without lawful authority.

However, the prosecutions applied to have the matter adjourned of which the defence objected to.

“We are unable to proceed with trial today because the witnesses have not come. We intend to call about seven witnesses of which one is from Nigeria, the other one from South Africa and the rest are Zambians. The two witnesses from South Africa and Nigeria could not make it due to logistical challenges. One of the local witnesses is out of town and the other one is at High Court,” submitted the State.

The defence counsel, however, objected to the application saying that the trial date was set by the prosecutions and should not be changed.

The defence said Amata was arrested in Zambia and there was no need to bring the witness from other countries and that the State did not indicate on whose side the logistical challenges were.

“The available witnesses should testify. It is the court to decide at the end of the trial whose testimony is relevant…one wonders why the witness travels out of town when he/she knows the matter is coming up today,” the defence said.

Ruling on the matter, magistrate Simachela said he had considered the application and the objection but ordered that trial commences with the available witnesses.

But the State insisted that they were not ready to bring the witnesses.

The defence then said the prosecutor was being arrogant, a statement that the latter did not like.

Magistrate Simachela, however, said “I have observed tempers are rising from both the State and the defence counsel. I order the defence counsel to withdraw the word arrogance and the State to withdraw the word marketplace.”

The matter was adjourned to February 14.

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