Shi’ite defence counsel protests delay in trial

From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

The counsel representing the Islamic Movement in Nigeria also known as Shites Barrister Maxwell Kyon, has protested the delays in the trial of his clients.
This even as he has prayed the court to admit all statements in bulk instead of treating them individually, which was time consuming.
He stated this during the ongoing trial of the members of the Movement which came up before a kaduna High Court yesterday.
The prosecution led by. Kaduna State Director of Public Prosecution, Bayero Dari, however. insisted on treating each individually, in spite of the judge’s appeal that he would soon go on break to resume next year.
However, t here was heated debate from the prosecution and defence counsels over admittance of evidence at the trial.
The prosecution while cross examining Prosecution Witness (PW) 43, sought the court’s permission to admit exhibit A70 which is statement of one of the accused persons, Mohammed Ahmed which sad said to have been recorded on December 14, 2015.
Defence counsel, led by Barrister Maxwell Kyon, citing section 83 of the evidence act, he begged the court not to admit the evidence.
But the prosecution, led by the Kaduna State Director of Public Prosecution, Bayero Dari, prayed the court to admit the evidence, in view of its relevance to the proceeding.
The presiding judge, Justice Shir Nyoms in his ruling, admitted the documents on the ground of its relevance to the case.
“I have listened to arguments of both parties. The essence of documents is to assist courts. Since efforts to reach the person that recorded the statement proved abortive, the statement is hereby admits it as exhibit A70,” he stated.