The Kano State Ministry of Justice, on Saturday, refuted media reports that a former Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Muaz Magaji, was arraigned with blood stains on him.
The ministry described as misleading and sensational a report that Magaji’s arraignment was stalled after the presiding magistrate took judicial notice of his health condition.
A state principal counsel and lead prosecutor in the criminal defamation charge against Magaji, Mr Ahmed Wada, explained that the suspect was brought to court with no blood stain on his body.
Wada, who stressed that the suspect was arrested in Abuja on Thursday after ignoring numerous police invitations and conveyed to Kano by flight, pointed out that he could not have been allowed by the airline operators to travel if he was truly sick as claimed.
The principal counsel also argued that contrary to media reports, it was Magaji’s lawyer, who drew the attention of the court to the purported bad health of his client, adding that there was no time the court took any judicial notice of the suspect.
He emphasized that the police were never rebuffed by the court for executing their statutory responsibility of ensuring that the suspect faced prosecution on the criminal charges against him.
Wada stressed that the former commissioner, who was arraigned before the Magistrates’ Court at Nomansland, was remanded at the state police Criminal Investigation Department after he claimed that he could not speak or hear.
The prosecutor said although the court ordered that the suspect should be allowed medical assessment at the CID, the court adjourned the case till Monday, January 31, when he would be brought for arraignment.
Aminu Gabari ordered that the suspect should be taken to the Kano State Police Command Clinic for medical attention.
When the case came up Friday for arraignment, the defence counsel, Garzali Ahmad, told the court that the defendant was involved in an accident in Abuja when he was allegedly being pursued by security agents.
The counsel explained that the airbag in the vehicle smashed his face and disrupted his hearing organs.
He, therefore, urged the court to refer the defendant to either the police clinic or his personal doctor for medical attention, explaining that his client was incapable of answering to his alleged offence.
In his response, the prosecution counsel argued that the matter was for arraignment and the court would entertain any application after taking the defendant’s plea.
Magaji was accused of posting an image on his Facebook page of Ganduje and a strange woman, a development the prosecution argued was capable of assassinating the good character and image as well as portraying the governor as an immoral and ungodly character.
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