A Federal High Court in Abuja has discharged a suspected Boko Haram member, Usman Abubakar (aka Mugiratu) arraigned alongside six others on an 11-count charge of abduction and murder.
Abubakar, who was the 6th defendant in the cases, was allegedly involved in the abduction of seven foreigners from a construction site in Bauchi State and conveyed them to Sambisa Forest in Borno where they were killed in February 2013.
At the resumed trial on Tuesday, the prosecuting counsel, Mr. Shuaibu Labaran, told the court of a development which was filled on Monday, stressing that the prosecution had no case against the accused.
Labaran said that among other features in the amended information is the “striking out” of Usman Abubakar as a defendant, in line with the information filled on February 23, 2017, and the addition of two other defendants: Mohammed Sani and Abubakar Abdulrahman Habib, culminating in a total of eight defendants.
He prayed the court for an adjournment to enable him produce the two new defendants who would subsequently take their plea and face trial.
The defence counsel did not object the request, but urged the court to make the prosecution provide the new defendants with relevant documents for speedy trial.
The discharged defendants’ counsel, Mr. K.Abdulkarim, emphasised on the time Abubakar had been in custody and urged the court to discharge him.
In a short ruling, the trial judge, Justice John Tsoho, struck out Abubakar’s name who has spent 5 years in custody awaiting trial.
Court discharges Boko Haram suspect over murder of expatriates
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