Court threatens to strike out Sowore’s alleged treason case over lack of diligent prosecution

On Wednesday, Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja threatened to dismiss the case of the African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, if the prosecution failed to put its house in order.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the matter was scheduled for re-arraignment of the defendants, but when the case was called, only Sowore was present in court.

Mariam Okorie, the prosecution counsel, informed the court that on the most recent postponed date, the court directed that the hearing notice be served on the second defendant, Olawale Bakare.

She did not know if Bakare had been served with the notice, however.

The court’s registrar then certified that Bakare had not been served.

Mr Marshall Abubakar, Sowore’s counsel, told the court that he believed the prosecution was just trying to delay his client by failing to serve the second defendant with a hearing notice requiring him to appear in court.

Abubakar told the court that he had written a letter to the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Minister of Justice requesting that the charge be dropped so that his client could enter his plea and stand trial on his own.

”My lord, this is the fifth year since this charge was filed, the defendant has been denied access to his family since then because he has not been allowed to travel outside the country where his family lives.

“You cannot continually and perpetually hold the man under suspicion that he committed a crime and so we will apply that this case be struck out until the prosecution is ready to prosecute it,” Abubakar said.

The prosecuting counsel told the court that since they had written to the minister, they would have to wait for the minister’s response to know the next line of action.

Justice Nwite ruled that he was minded to grant an adjournment on the condition that by the next adjourned date, the prosecution should comply with the order of the court to serve the 2nd defendant.

The judge warned that if the order of the court to serve the 2nd defendant was not complied with, the matter would be struck out.

“If you are not ready to go on with the matter, I am sounding this as the last warning that at the next adjourned date, I will strike out the matter even if heaven falls let it fall,” the judge said.

He adjourned the matter until Dec. 5.

(Credit: Daily Post)