By Abdulgafar Oladimeji
A Kano High court has discharged and acquitted two persons docked for armed robbery, Haruna Yusuf and Hassan Sherif have regained their freedom courtesy of the court judgement.
In a case I of the State versus Haruna Yusuf and Hassan Sheriff as the matter is now refereed to, the duo were arrested in a raid by the defunct SARS.
They were taken into custody on the trumped up allegation that they belonged to a gang of armed robbers that specializes in habitually robbing and had Conspired to rob a shop in Kano. The court heard.
At trial, the prosecution presented two police witnesses who claimed that they took the statements made by the defendants’ . Though were unable to convincingly inform the court where and when the defendants were arrested or committed the offence upon arrest.
State chief counsel, Tijjani Ibrahim led the two police witnesses to give their testimony on the issue,
The State piled pressure on the confessional statement purportedly obtained from the suspects.
The defendants deny making the statements, they told the court that they were subjected to inhuman treatments , while in the custody of the authorities, they painted the picture of the gory style adopted by the operatives of the defunct SARS in a bid to break them and make them confess to offences they claimed to know nothing about.
The prosecution was unable to convincingly inform the court where the defendants were arrested or the offence the committed upon their arrest.
It will be recalled that the defendants were arraigned in March 2021, the defence closed its case on 13/12/2021 .
The courts in its judgment last Tuesday discharged and acquitted the defendant. Of the offences levied against Haruna and Hassan.
The court lampooned the police over the brutalization of the duo, while in their custody.
The court also commended the defence counsels, Abdulhafees D Khalid and Ibrahim Umar for rendering pro bono service to the defendants in the matter and further commended the pro bono lawyers for their sacrificial conduct throughout while the trial lasted.
