Femi Falana, a human rights lawyer, has revealed why the Kaduna State Government filed fresh terrorism charges against Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, the leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, and his wife, Zeenat.
Falana claimed that the state government filed the new charges to frustrate their release from prison.
He disclosed this in a statement titled, ‘New terrorism charge was hurriedly filed by Kaduna State Government to frustrate the release of Mallam Ibrahim El-Zakyzaky and Mallama Zeenat from prison custody’, at the weekend.
Following the discharge and acquittal of El-Zakzaky and his wife by the Kaduna State High Court, the state government filed fresh charges against him.
Justice Gideon Kurada of the Kaduna High Court had last week discharged and acquitted El-Zakzaky and Zeenat of all charges leveled against them.
According to Kurada, the charges against El-Zakzaky and Zeenat were not supposed to be filed, saying that the state government cannot arraign someone for a crime that was not an offence at the time.
Falana’s statement read in part, “It has been reported in the media that the Kaduna State Government filed a new charge of terrorism and treasonable felony against Mallam Ibrahim Elzakzaky and his wife, Mallama Zeenat Elzakzaky, after the dismissal of the eight-count charge of conspiracy and abetment of culpable homicide by the Kaduna State High Court.
“But contrary to such reports, the new charge was hurriedly filed in the Federal High Court held at Kaduna on Tuesday, July 26 in a desperate bid by the Kaduna State Government to frustrate the release of the defendants from further incarceration.
“In other words, the new charge was maliciously filed when the Kaduna State Government anticipated that the ruling fixed for July 28 in respect of our no case submission would succeed.”
