A Federal High Court in Jos yesterday discharged and acquitted six suspects accused of participating in the January 20 crisis in the Plateau State capital.
The suspects are Alhassan Mohammed, Abubakar Samaila, Abubakar Shuaibu, Buhari Dahiru, Ibrahim Musa and Nasiru Idris.
They were charged with terrorism after allegedly participating in the crisis in which many lives were lost and property worth millions of naira destroyed.
A federal prosecution counsel, Mr Gbenga Walington, had earlier told the court, presided over by Justice Ambrose Allagoah, that he could not press charges against the accused.
He said that he was in a “precarious situation,’’ having failed to trace the military officers who arrested the suspects on the day the violence erupted and asked the court to give him more time to tidy up the case for proper prosecution.
The counsel to the accused, Mr Ahmed Garba, however, objected to the submission, describing it as a “deliberate tactic“ to keep delaying the case “even when government has nothing to prove against the accused“.
He told the court that it was more than eight months now that his clients had been detained and put on trial, noting that? “each time we come to court, the prosecution counsel usually fails to press any charge against them.
“Since the trial began, there is no case that has been established against the accused. By the confession of the prosecution counsel, it is clear that there is no case against the suspects.’’
Garba therefore prayed the court to discharge and acquit his clients.
In his ruling, Allagoah discharged and acquitted the accused for the lack of evidence by the Federal Government to prosecute them.
“Since the prosecution counsel has failed to prove a case against the accused, I hereby discharge and acquit them. The case is therefore dismissed.’’
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