Court Acquits Man Due to Prosecution’s Negligence in Taraba

From Magaji Isa Hunkuyi, Jalingo

An upper area court, sitting in Jalingo, the capital of Taraba State, has discharged and acquitted one Ahijo Sulaiman due to the prosecution’s lack of diligence.
 
Presiding judge Abubakar Kasim Aliyara, while delivering judgement, said the court observed that they had suffered prolonged delays and adjournments as a result of failure by the prosecution to produce sufficient evidence before the court.
 
The judge, however, declared the case was struck out for want of diligent prosecution and discharged the defendant.
 
Sulaiman, a pastoralist, was accused of criminal offences and was previously cleared after investigations by both the police and military found no evidence to support the allegations.
 
He was, however, taken to court by the police, and the case struck out. The ruling of the court was marked by the Sulaiman’s ordeal.
 
Expressing his relief and gratitude, Sulaiman commended the judiciary, describing it as “the last hope for the common man.”
 
He noted that the judgement would help restore his reputation and integrity in the eyes of the public.
 
Despite the ordeal, Sulaiman said he did not hold any grudges against anyone or society but warned that he would not hesitate to pursue legal action if his name is ridiculed or his reputation defamed in the future again.