An Oyo State High Court sitting at Ring Road, Ibadan, has ordered the medical doctor attached to the Agodi Custodial Centre of the Nigerian Correctional Service to appear before it on Wednesday to clarify the health condition of former Oyo State Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Alhaji Mukaila Lamidi, widely known as Auxiliary.

The directive followed an unexpected disruption in proceedings on Tuesday when Auxiliary failed to appear before the court, despite having been brought to the court premises earlier in the day for his ongoing criminal trial.

Auxiliary, who previously served as Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee of the Oyo State Park Management System, was scheduled to take the dock before Justice Olusola Adetujoye of Court 11. However, when the matter was called, the defendant was nowhere to be found, triggering confusion and tense exchanges in the courtroom.

According to information gathered from court sources, Auxiliary arrived at the court looking physically stable and remained within the premises while other matters were being heard. His case was fixed for around 11 a.m., but shortly before the judge reconvened at about noon, attention shifted to the defendant as correctional officers and other individuals surrounded him.

Witnesses at the court said Auxiliary was suddenly reported to be unwell, prompting attempts to attend to him on the spot. Some individuals reportedly poured water on him while others rubbed balm on his body. Shortly afterward, officials from the Agodi Custodial Centre were contacted, and a vehicle was dispatched to the court.

Auxiliary was subsequently escorted out of the courtroom area by correctional officers, alongside family members and associates. Observers, however, expressed surprise when he was seen walking on his own into the waiting vehicle outside the court premises.

The situation sparked outrage when Justice Adetujoye returned to the courtroom and learned that the defendant had been taken away without the court’s knowledge. While addressing the court, defence counsel, Olalekan Ojo, SAN, informed the judge that his client had taken ill.

The court then sought clarification from the prosecution team, led by Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions, O.S. Tella, who recounted what she observed during the incident in court.

Justice Adetujoye criticised the manner in which the situation was handled, stressing that the court ought to have been formally notified before the defendant was removed.

“Regardless of the circumstances, the court should have been informed by the correctional officers,” the judge stated.

With neither the prosecution nor the defence able to provide a satisfactory account of the events, the judge adjourned the matter to Wednesday, January 21. He further ordered the medical officer attached to the Agodi Custodial Centre to appear in court to give a detailed explanation of Auxiliary’s medical status.

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The court ruled that if the defendant is medically certified to be unfit, a new date will be fixed for the continuation of the trial.