Danjuma Abdullahi
Press TV, Kaduna
The trial of leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky has been adjourned until September when the court will deliver a final ruling on an application asking it to dismiss all the charges and set the Islamic cleric free.
The Kaduna State High Court received the written arguments from the Zakzaky legal team which had earlier filed a motion asking the court to quash the charges against Sheikh Zakzaky because they amount to abuse of court process.
Zakzaky’s legal team argued that the court should dismiss the charges for lack of evidence and failure to link Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife to the offence. Zakzaky’s legal team urged the court to free its client.
The Kaduna State High Court therefore set September 29, 2020 as the date for delivering its ruling on the application.
The lawyer representing the government was unavailable for interview for this report. Sheikh Zakzaky has been in detention since December 2015 despite a Federal High Court ruling ordering for his release.
Over 347 Zakzaky supporters were killed when soldiers of the Nigerian Army attacked Zakzaky’s home and the Shi’a worship center in the northern Nigerian city of Zaria.
Members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria have consistently demanded for the release of Sheikh Zakzaky.
The demand has become more pressing with the deteriorating health condition of the Islamic cleric and his wife.