•Sues FG for N300m ahead of judegment A Federal high court sitting in Abuja, yesterday fixed November 7, 2013 for judgement in the criminal trial of alleged Boko Haram kingpin, Kabiru Umar (alias Kabiru Sokoto). The court fixed the judgement date after parties adopted and adumbrated on their written addresses properly filed before the court. Sokoto is standing trial for allegedly masterminding the early morning bombing of St. Theresa Catholic Church in Madalla during last year Christmas celebration.
Over 40 people lost their lives while several others were injured as the high calibre bomb used on the church was detonated at the time worshippers were trooping out of the church. Not only was the Catholic Church building, where the adherents were trooping out, was badly damaged, houses that were few metres away from the church were also affected. Sokoto, who escaped from the custody of the police after he was arrested, had consistently said in court that he knew nothing about the incident even though the statement tendered in court heavily indicted him.
He had, however, sued the Federal Government prosecuting him before the high court, asking for N300 million damages for what he called unlawful and unconstitutional intimidation, harassment, injuries, beating and the torture he suffered while in detention.
The case is yet to be mentioned. In the meantime, the counsel defending Kabiru Sokoto in the matter, Mr. Sherrif Okoh, yesterday raised the alarm before the Abuja federal high court over alleged threat to his life for having the courage to defend the alleged Boko Haram kingpin. He said he was informing the court for the purpose of taking judicial notice of the threat. He spoke yesterday before he adopted the written brief he filed on behalf of his client. Okoh said he had already taken some steps after he got to know about the threat, but failed to disclose the step he had taken.
While arguing his brief of argument before the court, Okoh said the charg-es against the accused person were not supported by any evidence. He also questioned the credibility and authenticity of the statement tendered as evidence against the accused person since the police failed to include in the statement that the accused person once escaped from lawful custody. Okoh described the evidence of prosecution witnesses in the case as mere hearsay, which is not admissible in law.
"There is nothing before this court to show that the accused had the knowledge of the bombing of St.Theresa's Catholic Church, Madalla. All that is before this court is mere hearsay which is not admissible in law," Okoh argued.
He urged the court to discharge and acquit the suspect on all the two-count charge brought against him by the Federal Government. Counsel to the Federal Government, Chioma Onuegbu, in her submission told the court to discountenance the argument made by Okoh and hold that the evidence given by the witnesses in the case was credible and admissible.
Meanwhile, Kabiru Sokoto yesterday said that he would pursue his application for enforcement of his fundamental human rights to a logical conclusion. In his motion before the court, he is asking the court to restrain the State Security Service (SSS) from further intimidating and harassing him.
He asked the court for N300, 000, 000.00 as damages for the unlawful and unconstitutional intimidation, harassment, injuries, beating and torture he suffered while in detention. In an affidavit in support of the motion for the enforcement of his rights deposed to by Okoh Osebor, the accused said he was tortured by the operatives of the SSS while being interrogated. He said he was beaten because they wanted to forcefully extract information from him.
Source: Xmas Day bombing: Kabiru Sokoto knows fate Nov 7 (http://nationalmirroronline.net/new/xmas-day-bombing-kabiru-sokoto-knows-fate-nov-7/)