BY Abdulgafar Oladimeji
The team of defense lawyers have withdrawn from the case of blasphemy been prosecuted by Kano state ministry of justice against sheikh Abduljabar Kabara, who is dock before an Upper Shariah court sitting at Kofar Kudu.
The defence advocates in a letter addressed to the court told the judge, Kadi Ibrahim Sarki Yola that their withdrawal was following a detail deliberation and agreement reached between the parties involved in the matter.
Barrister Haruna Magashi, Thursday, while addressing the court, on behalf of other members of the defence team told the court that the decision to pull out of the case was incited by reasons that could not be disclosed in public, citing that secrecy does exist between they and their client, arguing that his ought to be respected.
He further averred that subject to an opposite position on their missive, the team of defense lawyers will no longer announce their appearance in the case, pledging that they will return to a neutral status, and would so remain until when the matter is determined.
Haruna Magashi further told the court that as legal practitioners, confidentiality is occupy and enjoy utter most standing and crucial in their conducts as lawyers, he assured the court that members of his team , who had withdrawn their services will conduct themselves professionally.
He note that the defense team comprising of, Haruna Magashi, Saleh Mohammaed, Bashir Sabiu, Rabiu S. Abdullahi and Yau A. Umar have disengage from defending the defendant, urging the court to take judicial note of their new position on the matter.
The prosecution team lead by Suraju Saida(SAN) did not oppose the withdrawal notice.
However, the defendant, sheik Abduljabar Kabara drew the attention of the court to issues he described as salient to the decision by his lawyers to withdraw their services from him, in his words. “ their withdrawal is about some questions I asked them which they failed to give me satisfactory explanation. And my questions to my lawyers affect even you the judge, which they failed to explain”.
“From the first day, I was arraigned, when they denied me access to the charge sheets, claiming that they were going to photocopy and bring it back for me to study it and they never did so, I I began to wonder if something was not amiss.
The presiding Kadi, Ibrahim Sarki Yola took judicial notice of the disengement by the team of defense lawyers in the matter.
The court instructed the defendant to proceed to enjoy the provisions of section 269 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Laws ACJL, which provides for persons standing trial to enjoy the privilege to seek for legal services to defend the allegations levied against them before the court of law.
The case is adjourned to September 30. For continuation.
