Zaria Clash: Court Denies 5 Underaged, Sick Shiite Members Bail

Zaria Clash: Court Denies 5 Underaged, Sick Shiite Members Bail
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Five under-aged, sick Shiite Member were on Tuesday denied bail by Justice ‎Awwal Musa of the Kaduna Magistrate Court sitting inside the Kaduna Prisons.‎

The Kaduna State Government had filed a case filed against members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN).‎

Some aspects of the case may be  moved to the High Court for lack of jurisdiction at the lower court.

Some Information presented before the Kaduna Magistrate against members of the movement include possession of dangerous weapons and attempt to commit culpable homicide both of which are beyond the jurisdiction of the court.

Pressmen were not allowed entry to cover the case proceedings inside the Prisons Custody. But counsel to IMN Barrister Hussaini Ibrahim, ‎said the denial was as a result of their team  inability to formalise the bail process. 

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The judge however, adjourned the case to 26th of April 2016 as counsels to the IMN await a notice for mention on the case at the High Court.

Counsel to the state government Barrister Abdullahi Bayero told newsmen that the court has accepted the bail demand filed before it for the sick and under-aged members of the IMN currently being held in Kaduna Prison by their lawyers.

He stated that it is a violation of their right for the sick and under-aged to be held in prison insisting that they are going to be released immediately.

But Barrister Hussaini  said the court is yet to consider releasing the sick and the under-aged members of the Movement being held in prison.  He stated that his team has been asked to formalize their demand for their release.

Formalizing the demand for the release of the seriously sick Shi’ites, despite confirmation by the prison’s medical officer, requires getting medical certificates and confirmations from government medical personnel, while the release of the under-aged would require signing of affidavits and other references.

Meanwhile there are members of the Movement being held in prison without any charges against them by the plaintiffs.

The case was adjourned because the Nigerian Army could not present the said weapons they confiscated from members of the movement saying the weapons were taken to Lagos for forensic investigations.

Though the weapons were not presented before the court, they were said to have been handed over to the Nigerian police by the Army.