Adelanwa Bamgboye
19 November 2008
Lagos — A Lagos High Court yesterday ruled that a contentious document which allegedly contained a statement by former head mobile police at Aso Rock Villa Abuja, Mr. Rabo Lawal, was germane to the case of attempted murder brought against him.
Justice Mufutau Olokoba gave the ruling during a trial wi-thin trial to determine the genui-neness' of the document.
Lawal, alongside Major Ham-za al-Mustapha, former Chief Security Officer (CSO) to the late Head of State General Aba-cha; Colonel Jibrin Bala Yakubu, former Military Administrator of Zamfara State; James Danbaba, former police commissioner of Lagos State, are standing trial over the alleged plot to assassi-nate Guardian publisher Alex Ibru many years ago.
Lagos state government had informed the court that the conten-tious document was endorsed by the accused at the Special Investi-gation Panel.
But Lawal disagreed, saying that the security operatives alle-gedly forced him into signing the document.
At Tuesday's proceedings, Justice Olokoba ruled that it is erroneous to say a trial within trial should be conducted before the document is admissible. He overruled the objection of Mr Ojo cousel to the defendant and the form was admitted in exhibit.
The case was therefore ad-journed to December 1.
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