The
High Court in Sokoto, presided by Judge Bello Duwala and Judge Danlami
Sabo ordered for the immedidate release of Mallam Kasim Umar and 112
others following a complain lodged before the Court by Counsel to
Mallam Kasim and other Muslims in detention.
The
Counsel to Kasim accused the Court of Injustice on its earler judement
in which it passed Judgement on Mallam Kasim and 112 others to spend 8
or 11 years in Prsion. Even if the accused are found guilty of 6 count
charges, they are not ssupposed to spend 3 years in prision for the fact
that each of the charges carries 6 month imprisonment, the Counsel
explained.
The Counsel presented eleven more complaints to the Court over its previous Judgement.
Base on the complaints lodged by the Counsel to the accused, the court, on Monday the 23rd
of September, 2013, ordered for the immediate release of Mallam Kasim
Umar and 112 who have already spent 6 years in various prisons accross
the country. The court further expressed that the accused were supposed
to have been released 3 years ago, based on the charges against them.
The court therefore ordered for their unconditional release.
As
the court now prepares to send document to variuos prisons on the
latest judgement, what remains now is to wait and see weather the Court
order would be implemented or not.
Muslim
Brothers of the Islamic Movement in Sokoto were arrested after the
killing of one Umar Danmaishiyya by yet to be identified assassins in
2007, which many believed to be carried out by Government’s agents for
his effort to stop what the Governor called the spread of Shiism in the
state. Some brothers were killed by hoodlums sponsored by Governor
Wammako while their properties worth Millions of Naira were destroyed.However, No evidence could be established linking the killing of Danmaishiyya to Islamic Movement, which made the court to dropped murder charges in early 2007 against the members. But, yet for unknown reasons, the Judge, after delay tactics, passed eight year imprisonment against members for charges mentioned above which were not proved beyond reasonable doubt as provided by the law.
In
a Judgment delivered in the early morning of Tuesday the 27th may 2008,
by Muhammadu Mustapha Balle of the Upper Sharia Court I in Sokoto,
Mallam kasimu Umar and 112 others were sentenced to eight years
imprisonment.
The charges include unlawful assembly while armed with deadly weapons, inciting the public, obstructing public servant from discharging his duties, constituting public nuisance, resisting arrest and insulting or exciting. However people say that these are baseless charges against the peaceful member of Islamic Movement in Sokoto who have been conducting their activities peacefully for over 20 years.
The charges include unlawful assembly while armed with deadly weapons, inciting the public, obstructing public servant from discharging his duties, constituting public nuisance, resisting arrest and insulting or exciting. However people say that these are baseless charges against the peaceful member of Islamic Movement in Sokoto who have been conducting their activities peacefully for over 20 years.
