Henry Okah, the leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), who is currently serving a 24-year prison sentence in South Africa, has raised an alarm over his alleged impersonation at a South African court on Tuesday to secure the dismissal of his application.
In a petition sent to Justice Dustin Mlambo of the North Gauteng High Court titled “Irregular Dismissal Of My Application: Case No. 2025 – 038124”, Okah said though hearing on the application was scheduled to be held before his court on Tuesday, March 25, he was not taken to the court by the Correctional Services Department as required by law.
“On Tuesday, March 25, I was not taken to court by the Correctional Services Department in which custody I am detained, and, astonishingly the matter was heard and decided in my absence, whereas it is clearly indicated in my application that I was to represent myself. Who then acted on my behalf? Definitely an impostor!,” Okah said.
A statement issued by Okah’s legal team said the authorities at the Zonderwater Prison locked him and other 300 to inmates in their cells all day on March 25 just to prevent him from going the court in person to argue his case. At the of the proceedings the application was dismissed.
At the crux of the latest legal battle is Okah’s attempt get the Constitutional Court to rule that his arrest, trial and conviction for terrorism and other offences were in violation of the provisions of South African law, and therefore, void. Okah said his efforts to have the merits of his claims examined by the Consitutional Court have be sabotaged repeatedly.
On February 12, the Constitutional Court’s Judicial Conduct Committee ordered an investigation into a previous complaint by Okah that an earlier application he filed had been tampered with at the directive of former South African Chief Justice Raymond Zondo to ensure it was dismissed. The committee also voided the dismissal of Okah’s application. Another ruling by a panel of Constitutional Court justices on February 18, granted Okah condonation, enabling him to file the latest application to the Constitutional Court.
Okah alleges that some influential interests behind be “unlawful conviction” are taking every step to avoid the embarrassment of having their juridical blunders exposed in the court hearing, thereby resorting to underhand methods and impersonating him in court to sabotage his case.
The jailed militant leader said he has information of plans to impose a parole on him and deport him to Nigeria as a way of permanently covering up the miscarriage of justice.
