El-Zakzaky Wife’s Bail Applications Rejected By Court, Fixes Trial For Jan 22

Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky

Agency Report:

A Kaduna High Court, yesterday, rejected the bail application filed by the leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, IMN, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky and his wife, Zinat.

El-Zakzaky is facing trial over allegations of culpable homicide, unlawful assembly and disruption of public peace, among other charges.

The Shi’ites leader has been in the custody of the Department of State Services, DSS, since December 2015.

There was heavy security presence around the court premises during the hearing.

Yakubu Sabo, Kaduna Police Public Relations Officer, had earlier said a ban on all forms of processions in the state was still in force.

The judge, Justice Gideon Kurada, while delivering his ruling, ordered that El-Zakzaky and his wife remain in the custody of DSS and adjourned the case to January 22, 2019 for trial.

Counsel to the plaintiffs, Maxwell Kyom, had earlier applied for bail for his client, citing health grounds.

Newsmen were not allowed into the court during the proceedings.

Court unconvinced about health claims

Meanwhile, the prosecution counsel told journalists after the proceedings that the court was not convinced that there were not enough medical facilities to take care of the defendants at the DSS facilities.

He said: “He has not proved to the court that facilities he enjoys are not sufficient and his wife did not show any sufficient medical challenge per se from past file.

“The court has ordered that he remains in custody throughout trial and that prosecutors produce its witnesses to testify in support of the charges made against them.”

He added that the third and fourth defendants, Yakubu Yahaya and Sunusi Abdulqadir, were not in court, but a bench warrant was being processed to get them arrested.

The ‘offences’

Earlier, the defendant’s counsel stated that “we are discussing with our client on what steps to take. We will soon take a decision on whether to appeal or not.”

Kaduna State government had filed an eight-count charge against the IMN leader, his wife and the two other IMN leaders based in Katsina and Kano.

The IMN leader, his wife, Yahaya and Abdulqadir were charged with alleged conspiracy and abbeting culpable homicide, among other related offences. NAN

Related Topics: #IbrahimElZakzaky #Zinat #DSS

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