…court vacates bench warrant against Giwa with stern warning on proper conduct.

After several efforts at evading justice in a protracted N300 million illegal eviction and property damage case, property developer, Cecil Osakwe, and Abuja-based lawyer, Victor Giwa, on Wednesday ask for an out of court settlement as they urged Justice Samira Bature of an Abuja High Court to allow parties conclude settlement talks.

The court, out of respect for the Mr Ahmed Raji SAN, lawyer to the first defendant, vacated the Bench warrant issued on April 24, 2026 for the arrest of Giwa with a stern warning that he(Giwa) should conduct himself properly as a lawyer.

At the resumed hearing, Raji informed the court that negotiations were already at an advanced stage, appealing for the defendants’ arraignment to be deferred pending the outcome of discussions. He told the court that parties had been engaging in talks aimed at easing the grievances of the nominal complainant and bringing the matter to a close. “We have been trying to resolve the matter in a way to assuage the pain of the nominal complainant and ensure that this matter is brought to closure. We are still discussing and have yet to agree on the final terms,” he said.

The senior advocate added that substantial progress had been made in the negotiations and assured the court of his commitment to ensuring compliance with any agreement reached, he added “if the defendants did not behave well , he would pull out”.

He further appealed to the court to allow the alternative dispute resolution process to continue, stressing that the dispute centred largely on issues relating to possession of the property and how to assuage the victim.

Responding, prosecuting counsel, Adorenke Imana, acknowledged the efforts toward settlement but expressed doubts about the sincerity of the defendants, noting that three separate motions had recently been filed by 2nd defendants.

According to her, the filings suggested that the 2nd defendant was simultaneously pursuing litigation while claiming to be interested in an amicable resolution. “The processes filed do not appear like actions from parties genuinely committed to out-of-court settlement,” she argued.

Victor Giwa, 2nd defendant who represented himself in the matter, aligned with the position of the senior advocate and confirmed that several meetings had already been held among the parties.

He also appealed to the court to vacate the bench warrant earlier issued against him, promising to abide by the decisions reached through the intervention of the senior lawyer.

However, Imana opposed the application, insisting that the bench warrant should remain in force until the settlement process was concluded.

She further urged the court to sustain the bench warrant issued against a police inspector, Edith Erhunmwunse, over her failure to appear before the court.

In her ruling, the trial judge, Justices Samira Bature recalled that an earlier application for a bench warrant against Giwa had previously been declined even though it was established that he was appearing before another court on the said date.

The court subsequently vacated the bench warrant against Giwa but cautioned him to conduct himself properly as a legal practitioner.

Lawyer to the nominal Ccompalinant, A.K. Musa, stated that the case was filed since January 2023, but the conduct of the 2nd Defendant Victor Giwa, including acts of intimidation of the victim has continued to cause additional distress to his client. He added that his client remains confident that with the involvement of the Learned Silk, justice and accountability will be achieved.

The judge stated that the court decided to “bend backwards” largely because of the credibility and assurances of the senior advocate involved in the settlement efforts.

The court, however, ruled that the bench warrant against the police officer would subsist. The matter was adjourned until June 25 for further proceedings.

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