Posted by From George Oji in Abuja on
Federal Government yesterday filed nine fresh count-charges against the ex-police officers accused of killing six civilians in the Apo area of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja in June.
Federal Government yesterday filed nine fresh count-charges against the ex-police officers accused of killing six civilians in the Apo area of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja in June.
This development has led to the postponement of the criminal trial, which was scheduled to commence yesterday by Justice Ishaq Bello.
The fresh charges, which bordered on culpable homicide, which is punishable with a death penalty, was drafted and filed by a private prosecution counsel, Chief Chris Uche SAN, who was appointed to prosecute the matter by the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Chief Bayo Ojo.
Inspector General of Police, had initiated the trial in July but counsel to the suspects opposed the suit on the grounds that under the constitution, only the attorney general could initiate such proceedings.
After this development and the conclusion of the public sitting of Justice Olasunbo Goodluck's- judicial panel set up by the Federal Government to conduct a public hearing, the attorney general decided to take over the prosecution.
The suspects; Danjuma Ibrahim, a deputy commissioner of police, Uthman Abdulsalami, chief superintendent of police (now at large), Nicholas Zakaria, Emmanuel Baba, Ezekiel Achenje and Sadiq Salami, face the trial to account for the murder of the six civilians killed in Apo, Abuja.
The deceased persons who include five men and a girl are Chinedu Meniru Ifeanyi Ozo, Chinedu Meniru, Isaac Ekene, Paul Ogbonna and Tina Arebun. All the nine-count charges are punishable under various sections of the penal code.
The new charges could not be read to the accused persons and their plea could not as well be taken because their counsel asked for time to study the new charges, prompting the court to adjourn the matter to October 17.