16 plead guilty to ‘public nuisance’ charges
Written by Hussein Yahaya & Ibraheem A. Fatai
Wednesday, 28 October 2009 00:00
Sixteen persons Monday confessed in court that they are public nuisances as well as trespassed into the National Assembly. Two other persons charged along with them, however, denied the charges.
Those arraigned in court were Sabo Abdullahi, Bello Abubakar, Kasimu Sani, Sani Abdullahi, Ibrahim Jibrin, Usman Ibrahim, Buhari Sani, Umar Buba, Shamu Zubbairu, Sada Ibrahim, Mataka Ibrahim, Aminu Ali, Nasiru Sani, Sani Sule, Ibrahim Bello, Rabiu Abdullahi, Nasiru Abdullahi, Nasiru Salisu and Yusuf Muhammed.
Prosecutor Adoche Isenyo informed the court that on October 23, 2009, one Yashim Haruna, an assistant superintendent of police (ASP) led a team that arrested 18 men for constituting themselves into public nuisances and trespassing into the National Assembly.
“When the accused persons were arrested, they could not give satisfactory accounts of themselves and committed offences punishable under Sections 342 and 198 of the Penal Code Law,” the prosecutor added.
When the charges were read, 16 of the accused persons pleaded guilty, saying they could not explain their mission at the National Assembly premises on the day they were arrested.
The remaining two, Sabo Abdullahi and Ibrahim Jibrin denied the allegations and requested for bail, which was objected to by the prosecutor.
The prosecutor asked the court to commence summary trial on those that pleaded guilty under Section 157 of the Criminal Procedure Code and sought for a hearing date to begin trial of the other two accused persons that pleaded not guilty.
In her ruling, Magistrate Ann Akobi ordered that all the accused persons be remanded in police custody till today when she will rule on the bail applications of the two accused persons as well as deliver judgement on those that pleaded guilty.
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