THE Federal High Court on Friday in Abuja admitted a
document tendered by the prosecution as Kabiru Sokoto’s confessional statement.
Kabiru Umar,
alias Kabiru Sokoto, is standing trial for his alleged role in the Christmas
Day bombing of St. Theresa Catholic Church, Madalla, Niger State, in 2011.
Justice
Adeniyi Ademola held that the admissibility of the document was based on its
relevance to the case.
“The objection
raised against the document is hereby struck out and the document is duly
admitted to be used as evidence,” he said.
The judge had
on May 10 reserved ruling on the objection raised against the document.
Mr Adamu
Ibrahim, counsel to the accused, claimed that the statement was extracted from
his client through “torture, coercion, beating and intimidation.”
In a
trial-within-trial to ascertain the veracity of the claim, the accused said
“throughout my stay in the police cell, I was not asked to write any statement;
neither was any statement written with my consent to sign.”
However, the
two prosecution witnesses, who gave evidence against the accused in blindfolds,
said the accused person was not coerced into making the statement.
According to
them, Umar, in the statement, confessed to being privy to the bombing of the
Catholic Church in Madalla.
They contended
that the statement was taken under the supervision of former CP Zakari Biu, CSP
Pam Augustine, Inspector Anthony Larumo, Cpl Francis Ameh (now dismissed) and
Cpl Adakole Samuel, in an open space.
Ademola
adjourned the case to May 13 for continuation of trial.
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