The Nigerian Police Force (NPF) has told a Federal High Court in Abuja that two of the fifteen persons who allegedly invaded the residence of retired Justice Mary Odili, were among inmates who absconded from the Kuje Correctional Centre during the July jailbreak.
At the last adjourned date, counsel to the 6th, 13th and 14th defendants, Usman Jibrin, told Justice Nkeonye Maha, that Aliyu Ibrahim, Shehu Jibo and Abdullahi Adamu who are 6th, 13th and 14th defendants respectively in a suit, were not in court.
He said that the three were victims of the Kuje jailbreak, and the Judge ordered the prosecution to investigate the matter and come back with a report.
At today’s proceeding, the prosecution lawyer, Mathew Omosun, told the court that the correctional service said only Jibo and Adamu , the 13th and 14th defendants, were at large.
But Jibrin, who also appeared for Ibrahim (6th defendant), expressed concern that his client was not in court despite the response of the correction service that he was not at large.
He prayed the court to order the prison authorities to produce Ibrahim at the next adjourned date.
Omosun, however, applied that the three defendants could be tried in absentia in accordance with Section 521 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015.
Justice Maha subsequently adjourned the matter to Febuary 16, 2023 for continuation of trial and ordered the Nigeria Correctional Service to produce Ibrahim the 6th defendant in court at the next adjourned date.
Credit: The Nigeria Lawyers