Foremost Civil Rights Advocacy group-: HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION
OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has asked the Inspector General of Police Force
Mohammed Adamu to ensure that the take over of the prosecution of the
notorious kidnapping gangster whose arrest led to the violent killings
of three well-trained police investigators in Taraba State, Alhaji
Hamisu Bala (Wadume) by the controversial Federal Attorney General and
minister of justice Alhaji Abubakar Malami does not end up like some
other high profile cases that were similarly hijacked by the office of
the Attorney General of the Federation and some of the watered-down and
withdrawn.
HURIWA recalled that on Wednesday, Shuaibu Labaran, a lawyer from the
Ministry of Justice told the Federal High court, Abuja division which
was handling the matter that the minister of justice and the Federal
Attorney-General Abubakar Malami is now prosecuting the matter.
HURIWA stated that going by the philosophical fact that the first
impression in everything is critical, it follows that the FIRST STEP OF
THE FEDERAL ATTORNEY GENERAL in this take over of the case is suspicious
given that it is inexplicable that the Chief law officer feigned
ignorance of the details of the matter his office has now taken over
when his office asked for an adjournment of this sensitive matter that
has taken ages to be taken to the Federal High Court of Nigeria to
enable his office to study the papers before re-arraigning the
defendants.
The Rights group said this is a delay tactics which is a grave threat to
justice and fairness because the families of the three police detectives
killed by soldiers on the alleged orders of Captain Ahmed Tijani
Balarabe have not found the SWIFT JUSTICE THAT THEY DESERVE
CONSTITUTIONALLY BY SEEING THAT THE SUSPECTS ARE SWIFTLY PROSECUTED AND
PUNISHED SEVERELY FOR THIS HEINOUS CRIME.
HURIWA which criticised the take over of this matter by the Federal
Attorney General and minister of justice who began badly by praying the
court for a short adjournment is absolutely suspicious because there are
insinuations that the case may suffer the fate that other politically
sensitive corruption cases went through in the hands of the Federal
Attorney General to such a ridiculous extent that some of them were
eventually withdrawn from the Court of law in what is considered
politically negotiated settlements in which the Chief law officer relied
on the constitutional power of withdrawal to discontinue these cases to
the consternation of patriotic Nigerians.
“HURIWA is absolutely against these delay tactics and the fact that the
Nigerian government has yet to arrest all the suspects and the
accusation that the major culprit has been sent on the military course
does not seat well in the conscience of the nation and is offensive to
the core soul of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“Why the take over by the AGF of this matter? Why did the AGF not take
over the case of the Billionaire kidnapper arrested in Lagos who is
being prosecuted by the Police? Why did the Minister of justice not take
over the prosecution of Chukwudimeme Onwuamadike alias Evans who is
being prosecuted by the NPF? What is the interest of the Nigerian
government or is it because the kidnapping chief suspect is known to
have built a big mosque in his part of Taraba and since some elements in
the Federal Government are seen as Islamists, therefore, they are
packaging a soft landing for the once-beloved patron of their religious
sect in Taraba state which is about 95% a Christian State?”
HURIWA warned that the Nigerian Police Force must know that generations
yet unborn will not forgive the treachery and betrayal should this
matter be swept under the carpets like some other matters taken over
midway by the Federal Attorney General and Minister of Justice just as
HURIWA asked the Federal Attorney General to explain why he is stepping
in to prosecute this matter.
HURIWA stated that: “Now the case is almost halfway and suddenly the
Attorney General of the federation from nowhere showed up to take over
the matter and stated that he has received the file and noticed that
there are about 20 defendants from the charge. The AGF is now playing
hide-and-seek which purely is to delay the matter by affirming that
there is a need for him to review the charge and also liaise with the
arresting agency to ensure that all the defendants are brought to
court.”
HURIWA said: “Although the AGF represented by an official assured that
the ministry would see that justice is done, We as well as
right-thinking Nigerians remembering what other cases have taken over by
the Justice minister had suffered are not comfortable with this
politically arranged take over. Although Justice Binta Nyako adjourned
the matter until June 8 for re-araignment, We are by this statement
demanding that the POLICE FORCE OF NIGERIA SHOULD SET UP A LEGAL TEAM
HEADED BY AT LEAST A SENIOR ADVOCATE OF NIGERIA TO TEAM UP WITH THE
OFFICE OF THE FEDERAL ATTORNEY GENERAL TO PROSECUTE THIS MATTER TO AVOID
POLITICAL Compromised.”
HURIWA recalled that the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu,
had filed a 16-count charge on terrorism, murder, kidnapping and illegal
arms running against Wadume and the others. They were first arraigned on
March 16. Count one of the charge read, “That you, Alhaji Hamisu Bala,
33, aka Wadume; Capt. Ahmed Tijjani Balarabe; ASP Aondona Iorbee; Insp.
Aliyu Dadje; Auwalu Bala; Uba Bala; Ahmad Suleiman; Bashir Waziri;
Zubairu Abdullahi; Rayyanu Abdul and others now at large, between
February and April 2019 at Takum and Ibi, Taraba, within the
jurisdiction of this court, while acting in concert, conspired together
to commit a felony, to wit: acts of terrorism, by attacking and
kidnapping one Usman Garba, aka Mayo, at his filling station in Takum,
thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 17 of the Terrorism
(Prevention) Amendment Act 2013. All suspects were also accused of
possessing six AK-47 rifles and dealing in prohibited firearms.”
HURIWA stated that Like most Nigerians, we recall some of the high
profile Controversial Cases Taken Over By Nigeria’s Attorney General,
Malami and these cases either were muddied up and thrown away or the
Justice minister wrongly exercised the constitutional power of nolle
proseque as provided for in section 174(c) of the Nigerian constitution.
HURIWA recalled that the recent of such high profile matters taken over
by the AGF is the money laundering trial of Akinola Ogunlewe being
handled by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
“Another case taken over by Malami was the N25bn fraud trial of Danjuma
Goje, former governor of Gombe State. The case was stalled when in an
emergency hearing before Justice Babatunde Quadri EFCC counsel, Mr.
Wahab Shittu, told the court that the agency was withdrawing from the
case and handing it over to the office of the Attorney-General for
continuation.
The AGF however, stated that having thoroughly reviewed the matter found
no prima facie case while adding that it was weak, withdrew the charges
against Goje from the court in the exercise of his constitutional
power.”
“Another of such corruption and the controversial case taken over by the
office of the AGF as we vividly recalled and even reported by the media
was the alleged debt of MTN’s N242bn and $1.3bn for its business
malpractices in the country.HURIWA recalled that MTN announced that it
received through its counsel, Wole Olanipekun (SAN), a letter from the
AGF formally withdrawing his demand for N242,244,452,215.97 and
USD$1,283,610,357.86 alleged revenue indebtedness. According to MTN,
while the AGF had dropped his demand, he, however, referred the matter
to the Federal Inland Revenue Service and the Nigeria Customs Service to
resolve the controversy.”
HURIWA recalled that the MTN matter has since died an unnatural death.
In 2017, Malami reportedly withdrew a corruption case involving three
former officials — Nasiru Ingawa (former Special Adviser on Sure-P to
former Governor Ibrahim Shema), Abdulazeez Shinkafi (former director of
finance and Account at the Katsina State Sure-P department) and Bello
Bindawa (former Chief Store Officer in the Katsina State civil
service)”.