Dari Bayero, the lead counsel in the ‘secret trial’ of the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky, and his wife Zeenat, has prayed to the Kaduna High Court to overrule the defence and sentence defendants as provided by the law.
Bayero, while speaking with newsmen shortly after Justice Gideon Kurada adjourned the case to May 25 for the defendants to open their defence in the trial, said the state had closed its case after presenting its 15th witness in the trial.
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“Our last witness has testified and the state has closed its case. We are satisfied with the case so far.
“We have presented 15 witnesses including Army Generals who are key actors and players that led to the filing of the case against the IMN leader.
“As far as the state is concerned, it has tendered all the exhibits and witnesses have come before the court and tendered evidence against the defendants.
“One of our prayers is that the court should overrule the No-Case-Submission, overrule the defence and convict the defendants accordingly and pass the necessary sentence as provided for in the law,” he said.
But counsel to Sheikh Zakzaky, Femi Falana, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), told reporters that his team would open its defence in the case at the adjourned date.
Falana, represented by Marshall Abubakar, said they would, after consulting with the defendants’ file and enter a no-case-submission before the court.
According to him, the defence had earlier prayed the court to quash the charge, adding that, “So far and as the defence is concerned, the 15 prosecution witnesses did not establish any case against his clients.”
Daily Trust recalls that the Kaduna State Government charged El-Zakzaky and Zeenat with eight counts bordering on alleged culpable homicide, unlawful assembly and disruption of the public peace, among other charges.
The IMN leader and his wife had pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to them.
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