Security
analysts have slammed the Federal Government over the shoddy manner it
handled the charge against Aminu Ogwuche, the suspected mastermind of
the Nyanya bomb blasts on April 14 and 21, 2014.
A Federal
High Court in Abuja on Monday ruled that Ogwuche be freed because the
police had not been diligent in prosecuting the suspect.
The
court dismissed the two-count terrorism charge against Ogwuche for lack
of diligent prosecution, few months after the suspected Boko Haram
kingpin was repatriated from Sudan to face prosecution.
Reacting
to the development, a security analyst, Ben Okezie, said the case might
have been handled by a quack lawyer, instead of a professional counsel.
Okezie said, “The government must have given the case to a
quack lawyer; in other climes, such an important case would have been
handled by a renown lawyer and that is why government agencies like the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have been messing up
anti-corruption cases in court. It is a shame and it’s most
unfortunate.”
A retired Lagos State Commissioner of Police,
Abubakar Tsav, also lampooned the government for messing up the case,
noting that the Department of State Services probably did not get its
facts right.
He said, “The government should make up its mind
and take the prosecution of terrorism cases seriously. They should have
evidences before taking suspects to court. They should not arraign a
person because he is a Muslim or because he came from a Muslim-dominated
area.
“In this case, they have no evidence; they just gave the dog a bad name to hang it.”
A
former Commissioner of Police in the Federal Capital Territory,
Lawrence Alobi, noted that the prosecutor had the right to appeal the
court ruling, adding that the Ministry of Justice would likely review
the court order and take the appropriate decision.
“I think the
dismissal of the case may have to do with the way the case was presented
and the police have the right to appeal it,” he stated.
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