A Excessive Courtroom of the Federal Capital Territory has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Kabiru Turaki, a factional Nationwide Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Occasion (PDP), over his failure to look in court docket for arraignment.
The order was given on Thursday by Justice U.P. Kekemeke, who dominated that Turaki had no legitimate justification for his absence and have to be introduced earlier than the court docket.
Turaki, a former Minister of Particular Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs below Goodluck Jonathan, is dealing with prosecution by the Inspector-Common of Police on a one-count cost of allegedly offering false info to the police in a petition dated October 2022.
The case had beforehand been scheduled for arraignment on January 28 however was delayed attributable to his absence, regardless of an earlier court docket directive mandating his look.
In the course of the newest proceedings, the prosecution requested a bench warrant, citing the defendant’s continued failure to honour the court docket summons.
In response, defence counsel argued that Turaki’s absence was attributable to a petition submitted to the Chief Choose of the FCT Excessive Courtroom, searching for reassignment of the case to a different decide over alleged insecurity within the court docket.
Nonetheless, Justice Kekemeke held that submitting such a petition doesn’t robotically droop legal proceedings except expressly directed by the Chief Choose.
The court docket subsequently granted the prosecution’s request, ordering that Turaki be arrested and produced in court docket for arraignment.
The case was adjourned for additional proceedings.