Makurdi -A Benue High Court, Wednesday, issued a warrant for the arrest of a reporter, who allegedly defamed Gov. Gabriel Suswam in November 2009.

The Chief Judge of Benue, Justice Iorhemen Hwande,  ordered the arrest of Dan Eka, the reporter, during cross examination.

Eka is standing trial with Manasseh Joshua, the publisher of the magazine and two others on a five-count charge among which is the defamation of Suswam.

When it was time to cross-examine the Special Adviser to Suswam on Media and Public Affairs, Dr Cletus Akwaya, counsel to the plaintiff, Mr Jubrin Okutekpa, informed the court that Eka and his surety were absent without any reason.

Okutekpa prayed the court to issue a warrant of arrest on Eka and summon his surety to explain why they were absent in court.

However, Mr B.A. Abdulsalam who has been appearing with the counsel to Eka, Mr C.A. Uja, informed the court that Uja was hospitalised.

He further said that the wife of Uja also informed him that her husband took ill and was on admission.

Abdulsalam applied for an adjournment of the case till the counsel was fit to appear in court but Okutekpa opposed the application, saying it was a ploy to waste the time of the court.