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Nigeria: Court Dismisses Charges Against Young Alhaji
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Leadership (Abuja)
20 May 2008
Posted to the web 20 May 2008
Msugh Ityokura
Percieved desperate efforts by Senate president, David Mark to rattle his opponent in the last senatorial elections, Alhaji Abubakar Usman yesterday failed as a court in Makurdi dismissed the charges leveled against him by the police.
The state police command had after series of investigations, taken the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) senatorial candidate for zone "C" to court for allegedly refusing to give them information on the alleged tempering, falsification and forgery of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) documents by the ANPP chieftain
INEC resident commissioner in the state, Gabriel Ada was said to have petitioned the state commissioner of police over the charges leveled against Alhaji Usman aka "Young Alhaji" hence the police investigation into the matter.
But the presiding judge of the chief magistrate court 1, Edwin Arii dismissed those charges when the accused denied knowledge of the allegations.
He said "you people are saying the man refused giving police information how then do you know he denied having hands in the allegations" Arii asked the prosecutor who murmured for words and failed to give a convincing answer.
He then said there was no iota of truth in the police allegations, and therefore granted bail to Alhaji Usman on self recognition while one Ewaiche Obe who also appeared in court with Young Alhaji on same charges was also granted bail in the sum of twenty thousand Naira and a surety in the like sum.
Meanwhile, Young Alhaji, Senator Mark's main rival immediately after the court session directed his personal assistant Philips Audu to give an undisclosed amount of money to some prisoners who were brought to court for trial. The gesture according to Audu was to enable the prisoners improve on their wellbeing till they get justice.
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It would be recalled that the police had invited Young Alhaji to it's head quarters in Makurdi on same charges on the eve of tribunal verdict in the case between the ANPP chieftain and Senator Mark where the tribunal nullified Mark's election. The tribunal had also ruled on the allegations in Alhaji Usman's favour when Mark's lawyers moved a motion for fresh hearing into the matter during the case based on the same charges, a development which questions police legitimate duty to insist on continuing with the matter.
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