Court threatens Prison official with ‘trial in absence’

A Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting before Justice Kutigi has threatened to continue trial in the absence of one Ahmed Abdu, should he fail to show up for trial at the next adjourned date.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) had earlier in May 2015 arraigned the defendant, an inspector in the Prison Dog Unit of the Nigerian Prisons Service, Kuje, Abuja, before the court over job racketeering.

The defendant and his counsel had failed to show up at the last adjourned date, which prompted the prosecuting counsel, Ngozi Onwuka to urge the court to proceed with trial in the defendant’s absence.

But in his ruling, the trial judge declined the counsel’s prayer. But premising on Section 352 (4) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, Justice Kutigi said that trial would continue in the absence of the defendant should he be absent two more adjournments from that day’s sitting.

He subsequently adjourned the matter to February 9, 2016.

The ICPC had charged Abdu under Section 10 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, for collecting N250,000 each from six unemployed persons promising to secure them jobs with either the Nigerian Immigration Service or the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps.