Five suspects arraigned on Friday, June 10, 2016, in Kano over the killing of 74-year-old Bridget Agbahime for alleged blasphemy. Credit Mohammed Kabir.

A Kano Magistrates’ Court freed the five suspects accused of lynching Bridget Agbahime for allegedly blaspheming against Islam’s prophet at Kofar Wambai Market in Kano, on June 2 this year.

The 74-year-old woman was a wife of Mike Agbahime, pastor of Deeper Life Bible Church in Kano state.

The suspects Dauda Ahmed, Abdulmumeen Mustafa, Zubairu Abubakar, Abdullahi Abubakar and Musa Abdullahi were then detained and accused of inciting disturbance, culpable homicide, joint act and mischief.

However, on Thursday, November 3, the Chief Magistrate Muhammad Jibril discharged the five suspects and terminated the case.

Rabiu Yusuf, the principal state counsel, who represented the attorney-general of Kano state, said:

“We received the case diary from the police on June 8 and having gone through the case diary, the attorney-general of the state evaluated the facts in accordance with sections 130 and 150 of the criminal procedure code.

The legal advice presented to the court, dated June 24, states that there is no case to answer as the suspects are all innocent, and orders the court to discharge all the suspects.

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When I first heard this news in the office I felt it was a joke, I just want to believe that they where released so that they could be properly charged before a court that has compentent jusrisdiction to try the case.
In practise it is normal for suspects to be discharged and properly arraigned before a competent court. This in my opinion should be the only reason these suspects should be released.
Let me say no more until I get to the office on monday and findout details of their release from a reliable source.

I'm not surprise we are in Islamic state of Nigeria... believe me they will never move this to front page once the woman is an easterner ... envious AFONJAS

jblackbell:
When I first heard this news in the office I felt it was a joke, I just want to believe that they where released so that they could be properly charged before a court that has compentent jusrisdiction to try the case.
In practise it is normal for suspects to be discharged and properly arraigned before a competent court. This in my opinion should be the only reason these suspects should be released.
Let me say no more until I get to the office on monday and findout details of their release from a reliable source.

But from the looks of things, I think the onus lies on the state to re-file the suit. And to start with, I can't understand why a case such as manslaughter/murder would be taken to a magistrate court. Abeg lawyers in the house explain.

They might b release n freed , all l know is d blood n d cry of d pastor will never give them rest.
Silly people

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bubbllie:


But from the looks of things, I think the onus lies on the state to re-file the suit. And to start with, I can't understand why a case such as manslaughter/murder would be taken to a magistrate court. Abeg lawyers in the house explain.

Generally why the police first arraign suspects before the Magistrate Court is because the Constitution and the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, provides that suspects should be charged to Court within 48hrs, so the suspects are usually arraigned before a Magistrate Court, pendng when they get enough evidence in my opinion to properly charge the suspect before a competent court, like in cases of murder.
Since a suspect cannot be facing trial for the same offence in two different Court, the proper thing to do is to terminate one. So in my opinion I feel the suspects were released, inorder to charge them before the High Court which in this case has the Competent Jurisdiction to try the matter. Take note, that Jurisdiction is the blood that gives life to any Court proceeding, without which a case no matter how well it was conducted is null and void. So if this case is left in the Magistrate Court it would just be a waste of time.