High court discharges and acquits ex-governor Sule Lamido in Dutse
A High court sitting in Dutse, Jigawa, on Thursday, June 28, discharged and acquitted the former governor of the state, Sule Lamido, who was standing trial since 2017, following a suit instituted against him by Jigawa state government.
Lamido is a frontline presidential aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), ahead of the 2019 presidential election.
The Jigawa state government dragged Lamido before a magistrate court II in Dutse, on charges of inciting disturbances, disturbance of public peace, criminal intimidation and defamation of character.
PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigeria’s #1 news app
The defence counsel, Barrister Yakubu Ruba, challenged the magistrate court on its jurisdiction to hear and determine the changes prepared against his client, on the ground that the action was not initiated in accordance to the provision of section 141 of the CPC Law of Jigawa state.
The magistrate, presiding over the case, Usman Mohammed Lamin, overruled the submission of the Defence Counsel, insisting that there was no violation of laid down procedure hence, the trial continues.
In the course of the trial, the Defence Counsel, filed an appeal before the state high court based on his earlier submission and asked the magistrate court to adjourn the case sine dine.
In their Judgement, the Justices of the state high court, Justices Ahmed Musa Gumel, Umar Sadiq and Abdulhadi Suleman, discharged and acquitted the former governor setting aside all charges initiated against him as earlier prayed in his counsel’s submissions.
READ ALSO: My detention was more of politics by the APC - Senator Abaribe claims
Meanwhile, the federal government has filed new criminal charges against Senator Bassey Akpan (Akwa Ibom, PDP) at the Federal High Court, Abuja over his failure to declare his assets.
The FG (complainant) in charge no:FHC/ABJ/CR/88/2018 slammed a two-count charge of “criminal breach of trust, diversion of public funds, conspiracy and abuse of office contrary to section 3(3)(1)(a) of the Recovery of public property (Special provision) Act 2004.”
The EFCC stage a walk against corruption - on Legit.ng TV
Source: Legit.ng
