Boko Haram Catholic Church Bombing: Judgement Day in Kabiru Sokoto’s Case Announced
Trial
of suspected mastermind of the 2011 Christmas Day bombing of St.
Theresa’s Catholic Church in Madala, Niger state, central Nigeria, Mr.
Kabiru Umar, a.k.a. Kabiru Sokoto, came to its conclusion with his
lawyer, Mr. Sheriff Okoh making a last ditch effort to save his life.
As
the trial continued on October 7, 2013, Monday, Mr. Okoh urged the
court to discharge and acquit his client of all counts of the terrorism
charge slammed against Kabiru Sokoto on the ground that documents
tendered by the State Security Service, SSS, purported to have been a
confessional statement of his client as well as those of investigators
who investigated the matter were all of suspicious origin having
emanated and authored by one man, the Investigation Police Officer who
investigated the matter.
The
defence attorney contended that Kabiru Sokoto who was arrested on the
14th of January, 2012 left the custody of the Police on the 15th of
January after being taken to his home at Abaji, a suburb of the Federal
Capital city, from where he reportedly escaped from the custody of the
Police but noted that this vital
information was not indicated in the
statements of the prosecution witnesses who claimed to have participated
in the investigation of the matter.
“The
IPO who investigated the fulcrum of the charge did not indicate that
the accused had escaped their custody by the time he wrote his statement
on the 17th of January, 2012. Not a single mention of the accused
escape was mentioned by the man who investigated him. We submit that at
the time these statements were written and signed by the same man, the
Police Headquarters was on fire, both from the Presidency and from
Nigerians over the escape of the suspect and the police was directed to
track, locate and re arrest Kabiru Sokoto and we believe that these
statements were authored to deceive Nigerians, the whole world and
particularly this court”.
He
relied on the provision of section 167 of the Evidence Act which
empowers the court to presume the existence of certain facts in the
instant case and noted that what was tendered as his client’s
confessional statement was authored by the police office who
investigated the matter for the purpose of saving their necks.
Mr.
Okoh further argued that his client did not have any knowledge of the
bombing of St. Theressa’s Catholic Church, contrary to the charge, and
that the prosecution failed to tender any material evidence to show that
Kabiru Sokoto has any knowledge of the bomb attack before it took place
or after the blasts.
On
the charge against his client for being a member of Boko Haram sect,
Sheriff contended that prior to the enactment of the prescription of
Boko Haram where it was legally proscribed on 14th June, 2013, that
membership of the sect as at then was not a crime and called on the
court to hold that as at the time of his client’s arrest, that his
membership of Boko Haram was not illegal since Nigeria is a secular
state where citizens are at liberty to belong to any organization they
desire.
In
her response, the prosecution counsel, Ms. Chioma Onuegwu, urged the
court to discountenance the submissions of the defence attorney on the
grounds that they contain statements of fact which were not allowed when
replying on points of law. She pointed out that she will have no room
to respond to these facts and urged the court to strike the submissions
off the court’s record.
Continuing,
Ms. Onuegbu told the court that the prosecution has discharged the duty
place upon them by proving beyond reasonable doubts that Kabiru Sokoto,
by his confessional statement and other evidence placed before the
court and urged the court to convict the accused.
The court thereafter adjourned tentatively to 7th November to deliver judgment on the matter.
Mr.
Sokoto was arraigned on a three count charge by Nigeria’s secret
police, the SSS, wherein he was alleged to have facilitated the
commission of a terrorist act by planting and encouraging his boys who
are said to be at large, at Mabira Sokoto in Sokoto state, with the
intention to bomb the Police Headquarters in the state between 2007 and
2012. The offence is said to be contrary to section 15(2) of the
Economic anf Financial Crimes Commission Act, 2004.
He
was also alleged to have been in possession of information about the
bombing of 4t. Theresa’s Catholic Church on the 25th of December, 2011,
but failed to disclose it to law enforcement officers within a
reasonable time to forestall the incident and there by committed an
offence contrary to section 7 (1) of the Terrorism Prevention Act 2013
and punishable under section 33 (1) of the same Act.
