Court shifts Zakzaky’s arraignment to Aug. 2

A chief magistrate court in Kaduna yesterday adjourned the trial of the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, adjourned to August 2 to allow the 2nd and 3rd defendants be served hearing notices.

El-Zakzaky is being arraigned for murder over fresh charges against him by the Kaduna State government after an Abuja high court had passed a judgment that he and his wife, Zeenatu, be released and provided accommodation.

A counsel to Zakzaky, Maxwell Kyon, told journalists that the other two defendants were yet to be served prompting the prosecution to ask for another date to intensify efforts to serve them.

“We had also filed a bail application that we had hoped will be looked into today (yesterday), but unfortunately it was sometime yesterday very late that we were served with the response to that bail application. So, we also asked for a short date to enable us respond to the counter affidavit that was served by the state,” he said.

He said the other accused persons, who are the 3rd and 4th defendants, “are not necessarily part of the matter until they are served”. “In a criminal matter, you cannot proceed until all the accused are served. That is part of the reasons we have not been able to make much progress, all the while and since the matter was instituted, the third and fourth defendants have not been served. The bail application could not be taken in court because not withstanding that we filled a bail application over a month ago, the state only respond yesterday evening, so we asked for a a short time to respond.”

Meanwhile, business activities in the city centre and near the central market around the court were earlier grounded.