…I want my lawyer, accused insists
ABUJA – The Federal Government, Wednesday, docked the alleged mastermind of the Christmas
day bomb explosion that killed about 44 persons and wounded 75 others at St. Theresa’s Catholic Church at Madalla, Niger State, in 2011, Kabiru Umar, a.k.a Kabiru Sokoto, before a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.
The federal government, through the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke, SAN, entered a 3-count amended terrorism charge against the alleged kingpin of the Boko Haram Islamic sect, a year and three months after he was arrested by the Police.
Kabir was initially arrested by the Police in Abuja on January 14, 2012, only for him to be declared missing two days later, a development that culminated to the sack of the erstwhile Inspector General of Police, Mr. Hafiz Ringim.
Likewise, following his alleged complicity in plans that aided the escape of the accused terror suspect, a former Commission of Police in-charge of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Zakari Biu, was equally dismissed from the force.
However, the suspect who was also accused of training over 500 men on how to manufacture and detonate Improvised Explosive Devices, IEDs, was eventually re-arrested on February 10, 2012, and has remained in the custody of the Department of State Service, DSS, since then.
He was said to have instituted his terrorist training camp at Abaji, a suburb town in Abuja.
Meanwhile, he brought to court amid tight security Wednesday, but could not enter his plea to the 3-court amended charge dated March 19, 2013, owing to his inability to secure a lawyer.
Shortly after he mounted dock, the suspect who was clad in white ‘Kaftan’, told the court that he does not understand English language, thus forcing the trial judge, Justice Adeniyi Ademola to stand-down the case to enable the court to produce an interpreter for him.
When the matter resumed about 10 munites later, Kabir, insisted on engaging a defence lawyer, alleging that since the day he was arrested, the security agency barred him from speaking to any lawyer.
Besides, the accused person told the trial judge that it was only yesterday morning that he was informed that he was going to court, even as he pleaded the court to give him two weeks to perfect his defence strategies.
At that juncture, the prosecuting counsel, Mrs Chioma Onuegbu, served a copy of the charge to the accused person right inside the dock.
Meantime, before adjourning till April 19 to take the plea of the accused person, Justice Ademola expressed his displeasure with the federal government, noting that even though the initial charge against Kabir was filed since March 6, 2012, yet the prosecution only filed its amended charge yesterday.
“The Chief Judge has always warned us to ensure that sensitive terrorism cases like this is always treated with dispatch, and we as judges always do everything within our powers to fast-track such matters. However, it is most unfortunate that you are just filing this amended charge today,” the Judge fumed.
Consequently, he ordered the federal government to serve statement of evidence and all other evidence on the accused person before the arraignment date, just as he ordered the prosecution to prepare “trial indictment and evidence”, before that day, saying same should be accordingly served on the accused.
More so, the judge directed that the prosecution must prepare a written case summons and serve on Kabir before April 12, as well as specify whether the federal government have the intention of adducing additional evidence against the accused person in the course of the trial.
Nevertheless, he ordered that the accused be remanded in the custody of the SSS pending his arraignment.
day bomb explosion that killed about 44 persons and wounded 75 others at St. Theresa’s Catholic Church at Madalla, Niger State, in 2011, Kabiru Umar, a.k.a Kabiru Sokoto, before a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.
The federal government, through the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke, SAN, entered a 3-count amended terrorism charge against the alleged kingpin of the Boko Haram Islamic sect, a year and three months after he was arrested by the Police.
Kabir was initially arrested by the Police in Abuja on January 14, 2012, only for him to be declared missing two days later, a development that culminated to the sack of the erstwhile Inspector General of Police, Mr. Hafiz Ringim.
Likewise, following his alleged complicity in plans that aided the escape of the accused terror suspect, a former Commission of Police in-charge of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Zakari Biu, was equally dismissed from the force.
However, the suspect who was also accused of training over 500 men on how to manufacture and detonate Improvised Explosive Devices, IEDs, was eventually re-arrested on February 10, 2012, and has remained in the custody of the Department of State Service, DSS, since then.
He was said to have instituted his terrorist training camp at Abaji, a suburb town in Abuja.
Meanwhile, he brought to court amid tight security Wednesday, but could not enter his plea to the 3-court amended charge dated March 19, 2013, owing to his inability to secure a lawyer.
Shortly after he mounted dock, the suspect who was clad in white ‘Kaftan’, told the court that he does not understand English language, thus forcing the trial judge, Justice Adeniyi Ademola to stand-down the case to enable the court to produce an interpreter for him.
When the matter resumed about 10 munites later, Kabir, insisted on engaging a defence lawyer, alleging that since the day he was arrested, the security agency barred him from speaking to any lawyer.
Besides, the accused person told the trial judge that it was only yesterday morning that he was informed that he was going to court, even as he pleaded the court to give him two weeks to perfect his defence strategies.
At that juncture, the prosecuting counsel, Mrs Chioma Onuegbu, served a copy of the charge to the accused person right inside the dock.
Meantime, before adjourning till April 19 to take the plea of the accused person, Justice Ademola expressed his displeasure with the federal government, noting that even though the initial charge against Kabir was filed since March 6, 2012, yet the prosecution only filed its amended charge yesterday.
“The Chief Judge has always warned us to ensure that sensitive terrorism cases like this is always treated with dispatch, and we as judges always do everything within our powers to fast-track such matters. However, it is most unfortunate that you are just filing this amended charge today,” the Judge fumed.
Consequently, he ordered the federal government to serve statement of evidence and all other evidence on the accused person before the arraignment date, just as he ordered the prosecution to prepare “trial indictment and evidence”, before that day, saying same should be accordingly served on the accused.
More so, the judge directed that the prosecution must prepare a written case summons and serve on Kabir before April 12, as well as specify whether the federal government have the intention of adducing additional evidence against the accused person in the course of the trial.
Nevertheless, he ordered that the accused be remanded in the custody of the SSS pending his arraignment.
