The Chairman, National Conscience Party(NCP) in Katsina State, Comrade Abulmumini Shehu Sani, was yesterday remanded in police custody till November 25 for ruling on the jurisdiction of the court to entertain one of the charges against him.
Sani who was arrested by the police on Wednesday was yesterday arraigned before Chief Magistrate I on allegations of defamation of character, injurious falsehood and inciting disaffection to the government punishable under section 392,393 and 416 of the Penal code.
At resume sitting yesterday, counsel of the accused Chukwuemeka Kalu argued that one of the charges of inciting disaffection to the government is tied to sedition under section 416 of the penal code in which the court can’t entertain such matter.
He insisted the First Information Report (FIR) before the court is therefore incompetent and cannot be heard until such charge is amended.
The prosecution counsel Joshua Bande urged the court to discountenance such for lacking substance on the ground that the accused was not being charged with sedition but inciting disaffection to the government.
In his rulling the Presiding Magistrate, Nura Abdullahi then fixed November 25 for ruling on the argument and asked the accused to be remanded in police custody till then.
It could be recalled that Sani’s arrest was as a result his last weekend’s press conference where he raised several allegations against the state governor, Aminu Masari, of attempting to bribe a Judge during his trials at the state Election Petition Tribunal, an allegation the state government has since denied.
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