The family of businessman, Alhaji Hussainu Usman, who was allegedly murdered in Abuja, has expressed concerns about the alleged plan to scuttle the trial before an FCT High Court.
The presiding judge, Justice Angela Otaluka, threatened to strike out the case over the police failure to produce the main suspect, Hajia Uwani Hussaini Usman, at the adjourned date of September 26.
The son of the deceased, Aliyu Hussaini Usman, had in a letter to the Inspector General of Police, Alkali Baba Usman, dated 5th September 2022, alerted that there were plans to flout the order of the court by not producing the suspect and cause the case to be thrown out.
“It is my considered view that should the court succeed in striking out the case on the 26th of September 2022, due to the fault of the said Commissioner of Police Homicide for not producing the 2nd defendant (Uwani), it would be an exceeding disservice and injustice to both the nominal complainant and Nigeria,” he said.
“It would serve as bad precedence for the total impunity and disregard the rule of law, where court orders are flouted by the police.
“It would tarnish the image of the Nigeria Police where it would be seen as a force that stoops low and traverses the course of injustice.”
The Inspector General of Police, Alkali Baba Usman, on September 7, 2022, directed the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department to look into the complaint.
Following a court order on June 14 to produce the suspect, the prosecution counsel, Godwin Ijiomah, informed the court that Uwani was arrested but has been “feigning” ill-health whenever the court date approaches.
Consequently, Justice Otaluka warned the prosecution to either arraign the suspects together or have the charges struck out from the court.
Uwani was charged alongside her son, Huzaifa Hussaini Usman, over the alleged strangulation to death of Mr Usman during his early morning prayer at his No B2A Latinwo Street, Adisa Estate, Durumi, Abuja residence on October 28, 2018.
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