The Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Tuesday prevented journalists from covering proceedings of the illicit drug trial of Abba Kyari, a suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police and others.
Penpushing reports that the Judge, Justice Emeka Nwite gave the order following an application to the effect by Sunday Joseph, counsel for the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA),with similar order that lawyers not connected with the case should leave the court room
The Director of the Legal and Prosecution Department of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), had applied for the protection of the next witness listed to give evidence in the trial, and prayed the court that other lawyers, litigants, and visitors, including journalists, who were in the court should not be allowed to be in the courtroom while the hearing lasted.
Penpushing further reports that the judge thereafter stood down the matter to allow non-parties in the anti-narcotic suit against the suspended police officers to move out, but when the judge came in for the matter, a lawyer, Emmanuel Oluwabiyi, whose case was on number 11 on the cause list, told him (judge) that he was in the court for another matter.
The lawyer said he felt embarrassed by the Director of the Legal and Prosecution Department of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) application asking journalists and lawyers to leave the court
Penpushing also reports that the trial judge, however, pleaded with lawyers not connected to Kyari’s matter to bear with the court in the interim, and when journalists asked counsel of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on the reason for the application, he said it was to give protection to intelligence officers scheduled to testify in the case.
The Director of the Legal and Prosecution Department of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in his reaction to the opinions of other lawyers in court, said there is a doctrine of state privilege in the interest of national security.
Penpushing reports that the agency Director said it had been observed that members of the Inspector-General (I-G) of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) who were loyal to Kyari were still coming to court.
‘And you don’t know who is who; so, it is for the witness’ protection. We are now going into the nitty-gritty of the matter and there have been allegations that we are just witch-hunting them. Though the agency had been calling witnesses, the present witnesses cannot be exposed to the public’.
Penpushing further reports that it is recalled that the judge had, on 22 March, dismissed an application filed by Kyari and others seeking an order dismissing the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA’s) charge against them.
The embattled and suspended police boss and three other co-defendants in the suit bordering on drug offence had filed the application, and they include Sunday Ubia, Simon Agirigba and John Nuhu, who urged the court to stop their trial because they had not been subjected to the internal disciplinary action of the Nigeria Police Council (NPC) and the Police Service Commission (PSC), as provided by the constitution.
Penpushing also reports that they argued that the failure of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to await the disciplinary action against them rendered the charge incompetent and deprived the court of jurisdiction to entertain the charge.
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