From: Ahmed Abubakar, Dutse
A Jigawa State Chief Magistrate court II, sitting in Dutse, has refused to grant the application to thrash the case against a former governor of the state, Alhaji Sule Lamido, who had standing trial before the court since June.
Lamido was earlier arraigned on four count charges of inciting disturbance, disturbance of public peace, defamation of character and criminal intimidation which are contrary to section 144, 113, 397 and 372 of Jigawa state penal code.
In his ruling, on Wednesday, the chief Magistrate, Mohammed Usman Lamin, rejected the application to trash the case against the former governor arguing that the counsel of the defendant could not convince the court base on evidence provided that the trial was an abuse of court procedure.
The Chief Magistrate rejected the argument earlier advanced by the Counsel of the Defendant, Barrister Yakubu Ruba, that the Attorney-General of the state has no power in this case as provided in section 393 of penal code arguing that according the FIR of the case, the former governor was arraigned for inciting disturbance, disturbance of public peace, defamation of character and criminal intimidation contrary to section 144, 113, 397 and 372 of Jigawa state penal code not in accordance to section 393 of the penal code.
He also dismissed the submission of the counsel of the defendant that the four charges were inter-woven and that if one was thrashed the rest should also be thrashed saying, all the charges were made under different sections of the law and that they were independent of each other.
Barr. Ruba, who was not pleased with the judgment, said his client would appeal against the judgment.
The Chief Magistrate, therefore, adjourned the case to October 11 for hearing.