EndSARS: Drama as judge refused Police counsel’s plea for adjournment in Ilorin

The ongoing sitting of the EndSARS panel in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital witnessed a drama of sort last week when its chairman, Justice Tunde Garba (retd) rejected the application for adjournment of the counsel, Kunle Iwalaye to allow him attend to his health during the session on Monday.
Iwalaye, after about two people’s complaint against the police had been heard requesting the panel to adjourn to allow him attend to his health which drew the ire of other members.
The dialogue between Iwalaye and Panel’s chairman went thus:
Iwalaye: I have not been feeling fine My lord. It is not easy for a counsel to attend to more than 20 people. It is telling on my health
Chairman: Mr Iwalaye, what do you want?
Iwalaye: I want an adjournment for the rest of the day to allow me to go to the hospital.
Chairman: I don’t want us to fight.
Iwalaye: My lord, my life is much more important than this panel. It is only the living … I want to live to read the report of the panel, I don’t want it to be written after I am dead. As you can see I have a junior counsel like most of the lawyers too but our diary is filled up. Like the other senior lawyers there who is in Akure, his junior is in court and that is why I was released purposely for this panel. I don’t know how long the witnesses and all other cases will take. That is the true position my lord.
Chairman: Mr Iwalaye…
Iwaleye: I have tendered my health issue before this court before.
Chairman: Some of us from this end also have one or two health issues and other things worrying us but in spite the inconveniences we are experiencing, we are ready to allow you sit down so that you won’t have any issue.
Iwalaye: In the alternative My Lord, I would appreciate if the court can grant me 30 minutes stand-down for me to go and take my medication and I will be back. I have them in my car.
Chairman: Mr Iwalaye, when you left home this morning, you must have known that you have a drug to take …. It is not proper for me to now grant you stand down so that you will go and take your drug.
Iwalaye: Sir the issue of health is unpredictable.
Chairman: Even what you are doing now is just that …., you could have entertained one or two more… Mr Iwalaye, if you want me to record you that you are not appearing in this case, I am ready to go on, that’s all, if you are not ready to go on, I will write it as …
Iwalaye: …on the ground of ill health My lord. I have been before this panel for long and I have never complained like this for the past two and half months. I have never.
Chairman: It is on record that you have applied on the ground of ill-heath before.
Iwalaye: It was just once My Lord, others was on official assignment.
Chairman: My Iwalaye. Please go ahead.
Iwalaye: As the court pleases but My lord, I wouldn’t know what the decision of the panel will be.
Chairman: The decision is that we are going on with the proceedings and the only thing is that we will not waste time at all.
Iwalaye: My lord, I am the one that will go through the rigours of cross examination. This is a matter between me and my life.
Chairman: Your life is also very precious to us.
The police counsel however told one of the lawyers in the court to help record the words of the petitioners and went outside the panel telling the court that he wants to go and used his medication. He came back and completed the session which lasted more than four hours after.