Kabiru Sokoto
The
suspected Christmas day bomber Kabiru Sokoto, is to file a no-case
submission following the conclusion of testimonies by prosecution
witnesses in his trial over two counts brought against him by the
Federal Government.
Sokoto has been on trial for allegedly
masterminding the December 25, 2011 bombing of St. Theresa’s Catholic
Church in Madalla, Niger State.
His lawyer, Hassan Lukman, on Thursday
informed the Abuja Federal High Court handling the trial that the
accused person would file a no-case submission, after the prosecution
called its last witness.
“Since the prosecution has closed its
case, we shall be applying for a date to make our no-case submission,”
Lukman said shortly after the prosecuting counsel, Mrs. Chioma Onuegbu,
informed the court that she had closed her case.
In all, the prosecution called six witnesses, including policemen and operatives of the State Security Service.
All the witnesses were masked and their
identities and addresses were not disclosed, in line with witness
protection measures canvassed by the Federal Government.
Sokoto pleaded not guilty to the charge
when he was arraigned on April 19, 2013, and his lawyers have claimed
that a confessional statement tendered in court by the prosecution was
obtained by torture.
In the contentious statement, the
suspected Boko Haram member gave details of his membership and
involvement in the activities of the terrorist sect.
Two prosecution witnesses – police
officers in the Inspector General of Police Special Taskforce on
Terrorism and Heinous Crimes – who were introduced as Mr. XYZ and Mr.
ABC – had informed the court that Sokoto voluntarily detailed his
involvement in the Boko Haram sect.
But Sokoto’s lawyers claimed that the statement was obtained from him after he was tortured by the investigators.
The veracity of the statement was the
subject of a heated argument between the prosecution and the defence
counsel when it was tendered before the court on Thursday, May 5, 2013.
Lead defence counsel, Mr. Adamu Ibrahim,
who insisted that Sokoto was tortured had applied for a
trial-within-trial to enable the court to ascertain the veracity of the
statement.
The prosecution witnesses had told the court that a police officer wrote down the statement while Sokoto dictated it.,
But the trial judge, Justice Adeniyi
Ademola, had, in his ruling on the trial-within-trial, dismissed the
objections of the defence counsel and admitted the statement as evidence
on the grounds that it (statement) was relevant to the trial.
The judge also noted that the weight to be attached to the statement would be determined at the point of judgment.
Justice Ademola adjourned the matter to June 7, 2013, for adoption of written addresses.
Meanwhile, the Presidential Committee
on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges in the North
has appealed to the media for cooperation.
The committee, in a statement in Abuja on Thursday, said the country was facing dire times.
It said the committee at no time said it met with Kabiru Sokoto during its visit to the Kuje Prisons, Abuja.
The group called on all Nigerians to contribute to the peace, stability and progress of the country.
“The committee has repeatedly expressed
the fact that it considers the media as partners in the sensitive
assignment and sincerely hopes that this will continue to be the case,”
the committee said.
PUNCH
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