Obstruction Of Police Investigation Against Legal Icon, Jigawa High Court Quashes The Case

Usman Abubakar Adamu

The  Jigawa state High Court sitting in Ringim yesterday stroke out a case of the state against one Barrister Victor .V.C Jonah and ordered that the case file should be returned to the state Chief Judge Hon.  Justice Aminu Sabo Ringim to decide which of the High Courts will entertain it.

Barrister Victor  V cJonah who was standing trial for alleged obstruction of the police investigation against One Vincent a pharmaceutical chemist residing in Dutse who was accused of selling counterfeit and illicit drugs.

Earlier, the Defense Counsel Barrister Garba Abubakar argued that the High Court has no jurisdiction to entertain the case on the ground that the similar Court of competent Jurisdiction entertained the case and stroke it out due to lack of merit while the same case was still pending in  Magistrate Court one,  Dutse.

He noted that since the earlier High court closed that case, it was still on course at the lower court, as a fresh case was filed by the state attorney general with the same content and same date, therefore, he said the court should quash the case.

In his ruling earlier, the presiding Judge Hon. Justice Mohammad Abubakar Sambo ruled that against the preliminary objection by the defense Council ordered that the defendant should file an appeal at the Federal appeal Court Kaduna.

In the process, the accused person Barrister Victor V C Jonah who was facing a criminal charge of interfering into the police investigation and obstructed the investigation,  against one Vincent pharmaceutical store which suspected of selling counterfeit and illicit drugs, raised up his hands that he wants to address the  Court  and  the presiding Judge granted his request.

In His submission, he complained that he has the fear that the earlier Court sitting in Birnin Kudu, as well as that of Ringim and Dutse Magistrate Court, will give him Justice, he, therefore, prayed that the Court should send back the case file to the state chief Judge Hon. Justice Aminu Sabo Ringim to decide when next to hear the case.

In his ruling, Hon. Justice Mohammad Abubakar Sambo granted the prayer of the defendant and ordered the registrar of the Court to take back the case file to the office of the CJ for further decision.

The state Counsel Barrister Mohammed El- Usman told that Court that they had no objection to the decision of the Court but in an interview with Journalists, the state counsel said that despite the fact that the earlier High Court stroke out the case, the attorney general has legal right to file the case at another Court of competent Jurisdiction.

He dismissed the allegation that the defendant is being witch hunt because he is not an indigent of Jigawa state saying that nobody was above the law, as he added and cited instances, where Justices of the Supreme and High Courts were arraigned in the Court of law, where they were charged with corruption cases and expressing his satisfaction with the ruling.

In his response to questions from media men the accused person Barrister Victor Jonah, said he was arrested by the police last year, and was detained for two days and taken to Magistrate Court where he was remanded for over one month before he was released on bail and was later on, charged to state High Court sitting in Birnin Kudu which quashed the case due to the failure of the state Counsel to produce witness and enough evidence against him.

He thanked the Hon Justice Mohammed Abubakar Sambo for affording him the opportunity to air his views on the case, and he accused the state Attorney general and Commissioner for Justice of humiliation, dehumanization.