Kaduna Court To Rule On El-Zakzaky’s No Case Submission On July 28

A Kaduna State High court has set aside July 28, 2021, to rule on the no-case submission filed by the embattled leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN),  Sheikh Ibrahim Elzakzaky and his wife Zeenat,  challenging the charges levelled against them by the Kaduna state government. 

Elzakzaky and his wife are standing trial on an eight-count charge bordering on alleged culpable homicide, unlawful assembly and disruption of the public peace, among others.

During the last sitting on May 25, the prosecuting counsel Dari Bayero finally rested his case by presenting his last witness, thereby bringing the total number of witnesses called by the prosecution to 15.

Among the witnesses who testified against the IMN leader were two Army officers, a retired director of State Security Service (SSS), police officers and a medical doctor.

At the resumed hearing of the trial on Thursday,  Counsel to the defendants,  Femi Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, filed a no-case submission and asked the court to dismiss the charges levelled against them as there was no criminal case so far that has been established against the defendants by the Kaduna State government.

This was however opposed by the prosecuting counsel, Daris Bayero who insisted that the defendants have a case to answer, and therefore asked the court to overrule the no-case submission and convict the defendants as provided in the law.

During today’s sitting, Security was beefed up around the Kaduna metropolis while all roads leading to the high court complex were blocked by Security operatives, in order to prevent any breakdown of law and order during the court proceedings.