I did not authorize petition against FMC Lokoja, HoS tells court

From Ahmad Ibrahim Lokoja

A former Head of Service in Kogi State, Dr Sabinah Atta has told a Lokoja Chief Magistrate court that she did not authorize a petition written against the management of the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja.
Atta who disclosed this in Lokoja yesterday, while giving evidence in a case of forgery brought by the police against the Chairman of the Kogi State Elders Forum, Mr James Elukpo, said that the petition dated July 7, 2016 and addressed to the minister of health was without her knowledge and approval
She pointed out that the accused used her name to write the petition without her consent, insisting that there was never a time members of the forum decided to write a petition against the management of the hospital.
The witness who spoke while being led in evidence by the police prosecutor, Mr Theophilus Oteme further admitted that members of the forum actually met and agreed in principle that the next Chief Medical Director of the FMC should be an indigene of the state.
Consequently, she averred that Elukpo in his capacity as the chairman of the forum was instructed to write a letter to the minister of health on the need for him to consider an indigene for the position.
She stressed that she was taken aback when her attention was called to a petition allegedly written by her and two other persons against the management of the FMC, saying that was not what actually transpired.
Atta disclosed that she had promptly written the management of the FMC to dissociate herself from the petition alleging massive corruption, mismanagement among other allegations against the management.
She equally told the court that she wrote another letter to Elukpo to dissociate herself from the petition but said she was shocked when the accused admitted the contents of the petition and subsequently heaped insults on her.
Atta told the court to take special notice of Elukpo’s reaction to her letter and the insults heaped on her, maintaining that she has earned her honour and integrity over the years purely on merit.
Oteme had earlier called the current Chief Medical Director and the immediate past Chief Medical Director of the FMC, Dr Olatunde Alabi and Dr Debo Eleshin respectively as witnesses in the case.
In their submissions, both Alabi and Eleshin revealed that a copy of the petition was sent to the FMC by the Federal Ministry of Health, Abuja for reaction.
Eleshin also informed the court Attack had equally denied writing the petition when he earlier engaged her on the allegations contained in her petition.
The case has been adjourned to the 3rd of October, by the Chief Magistrate A. S. Ibrahim at the instance of the defence counsel, Muazu Abass.