The Judicial Commission of Enquiry looking into the clash between soldiers and the Islamic Movement of Nigeria on Monday adjourned sitting to Wednesday.
The Chairman of the commission, Justice Muhammadu Garba, announced the adjournment shortly after the commencement of public hearing in Kaduna.
Garba said the adjournment became necessary so as to allow the two parties appear before it.
“The sitting has to be adjourned till Wednesday, February 24 because of the absence of one party involved in the inquiry,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that while personnel of the Nigerian Army appeared at the hearing, members of the Sheik Ibraheem El-Zak-Zaky-led Islamic group were absent.
It would be recalled that the 13-man commission was set up by Governor Nasir el-Rufai following the December 12, 2015 clash between soldiers in the convoy of the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, and the sect members, who are also known as Shiites.
NAN also learnt that the Festus Okoye-led defence team for the Shiites had earlier written the commission of its inability to submit memorandum.
The team said in the letter that its members had declined to submit a memorandum “because of the lack of access to the leader of the movement, Sheik Ibraheem Zakzaky, whose directive they needed to obey and work with”.
The counsel to the commission, Yusuf Ali (SAN), had, however, been directed to find out the whereabouts of the leader of the movement and report back to the commission at Wednesday’s sitting.
Ali told reporters shortly after the adjournment that he would locate the leader of the movement within 24 hours to enable his lawyers get access to him.
He said: “It is required by law for every party in the clash to be present at all the sittings of the proceedings.”
Ali had informed reporters that 105 memoranda had so far been submitted to the commission.
NAN.
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