Boko Haram: Court refuses to grant Ndume full secret trial 25.Oct.2014 A federal high court in Abuja, on Friday, turned down an application by the senator representing Borno South District, Senator Ali Ndume, seeking to conduct his trial in secret. Ndume is standing trial for his alleged involvement with the insurgent group, Boko Haram. Ruling on the application, the judge, Justice Gabriel Kolawole, said the court was inclined to partially grant it because the application was not strong enough to be granted in full. ADVERTISEMENT Justice Kolawole held that while the accused was entitled to fair trial, the state owed the responsibility of protecting the lives of prosecution witnesses. He said the application was caught between fair hearing/trial and state responsibility, thereby necessitating the court to strike a balance between the two. “The application is not one that is sufficiently strong and in the light of this, the court will grant the application in a limited manner. Witnesses will be shielded under a special arrangement by the court but such witnesses will also not be masked. “This is except for members of the press and parties in the suit. The public will not be allowed into the court room,” the trial judge ordered. Justice Kolawole adjourned the case to November 11 and 12 for the commencement of the trial. Ndume was arraigned on a four-count charge bordering on terrorism, after he was implicated by one Ali Konduga, said to be the former spokesperson of Boko Haram. Konduga has since been convicted and sentenced.
Posted on: Sat, 25 Oct 2014 20:51:09 +0000
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