Armed robbery case against ex-Zamfara governor adjourned

The Zamfara State High Court 4 in Gusau on Monday adjourned to February 20 the trial of Senator Ahmed Bakura and 29 others in a case of alleged armed robbery preferred against them by the police.
Bakura was the Governor of Zamfara State from May 1999 to May 2007.
He was first arraigned on November 29, 2013, along with 29 others at the Zamfara High Court 1, presided over by the state Chief Judge, Justice Kulu Aliyu, over alleged criminal conspiracy and armed robbery.
On that date, the judge ordered the prosecution to serve all the accused persons with relevant documents so that they could appear in court.
At Monday’s hearing, however, only six out of the 30 accused persons were in court with the defence counsel, Sani Katu.
Katu told the court that his clients had not been served with the arraignment notice as directed by the Chief Judge.
In his submission, the prosecution counsel, Okoye Torugbele, told the court that the accused persons had proved too difficult to be traced and be served with the court notice.
Torugbele further said the appearance of six of the accused persons at Monday’s sitting had proved that all of them were aware of the continuation of the case on that day.
He, therefore, urged the judge to assist in bringing them to the court for trial.
The judge of the Zamfara State High Court 4, where the case is now being heard, Justice Bello Gummi, said the arraignment notice should now be processed through the court registrar.
Gummi said it should be given to the defence counsel for onward service to the accused persons.
The judge thereafter adjourned the case to February 20 for hearing.
The case followed an attack in August 2013 on Hon. Ibrahim Shehu of Gusau/Tsafe Constituency by thugs.
Shehu alleged that the thugs were sponsored by the accused persons.
Shehu reported the matter to the Inspector General of Police, who instituted the charges and ordered the court processes against the accused persons.
Although the principal accused person, Bakura, was at the premises of the High Court when the case was first mentioned in November 2013, he was not at Monday’s sitting.