The Attorney General of Kaduna State and Commissioner of Justice, Aisha Dikko, has said the fate of the leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), Malam Ibrahim El Zakzaky lies with the court.
The commissioner, in a statement issued on Thursday, said the Kaduna State Government had no intention of withdrawing the charges but would rather leave it to the court to decide the case.
She cautioned that the ongoing legal processes should not be the subject of a media campaign or pressure of any kind.
Further explaining why the state government cannot release the IMN leader, Dikko insisted that both El Zakzaky and his wife Zeenat are facing an eight-count charge, including culpable homicide punishable with death, and recalled that the court had earlier refused the accused persons’ application for bail following their arraignment in August 2018.
She said: “At its last sitting on 5th December 2019, the Court adjourned hearing in the matter to 6th February 2020, and ordered the transfer of the couple from DSS facilities to the Kaduna Correctional Centre for the duration of trial.
“It is the High Court that will decide the case, and the rule of law demands respect for the prerogatives of the court and the ongoing legal process.’’
The Attorney-General warned against any attempt to reprise the media frenzy that stampeded some officials to whisk the El-Zakzaky’s to New Delhi without waiting for the court to determine the specific conditions for the medical leave granted to the couple, expressing optimism that all parties have learnt the necessary lessons from the debacle that the New Delhi trip became.
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