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The Kaduna State High Court has on Monday commenced the trial of the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria popularly known as ‘Shi ’ites ,’ Sheikh Ibraheem El -Zakzaky , and wife , Zeenat .
At the resumed hearing , the leader of the Shi ’ ite and wife were absent .
But the court ordered that the authorities to as a matter of urgency treat the wife of the embattled leader of the IMN for Covid – 19 .
Members of the IMN, had last week , renewed calls for the release of El -Zakzaky and his wife , claiming that Elzakzaky ’s wife had tested positive for COVID -19 inside the Kaduna Correctional facility where they are being detained since 2015.
The Presiding Judge , Justice Gideon Kurada, gave the order during the secret trial of the Shi ’ite leader and the wife .
Shortly after the court session , the Prosecution and the Defence Counsels , Christ Umar and Femi Falana( SAN ) confirmed to newsmen that Zeenat tested positive for the coronavirus .
According to Falana, the legal team of the IMN leader and wife has presented the results of the test before the court and applied that Zeenat , the second defendant in the trial who tested positive for the virus more than one week now be availed with a proper medical facility to get treatment .
He said the Medical facility at the Kaduna Correctional Center lack the essential facilities to treat the virus.
Falana said , “Today at the resumed trial of the client case , the prosecution brought four witnesses including a medical doctor who testified before the court .
“ But we also applied to the court , we drew the attention of the court on behalf of our clients to the fact that the wife of our client Zeenat had tested positive to the dangerous Covid – 19 pandemic and she is being treated in the medical center of the correctional facility.
“We applied to the court that the authorities should take her to a government hospital that has the facility to treat the virus.”
On its part, the Prosecution Counsel who doubles as the State Solicitor General and Permanent Secretary , the team( prosecution ) never objected to the application .
Umar added that the team has so far presented four witnesses bringing the number of witnesses who testified before the court, to eight , adding that more witnesses would testify on January 26 , 2021 .
He disclosed that one of the witnesses who had been promoted to the rank of a Major – General and now heading a division was expected to testify before the court .
Umar, however , said that the prosecution team would review the case as the trial continued to ensure that relevant evidence was presented on the role of defendants during the operation that lasted between the 12 th and the 14 th of December 2015 .
The Shi ’ite leader & wife were being charged for an eight -count bodering on alleged culpable homicide, unlawful assembly, disruption of public peace among others by the state government ( Kaduna) , following the Nigerian Army clash with the sect in Zaria , Kaduna State in December 2015.
El -Zakzaky , his wife , and other members of the group had been in detention since 2015 despite court rulings that the IMN leader be released .
At the last hearing in November 2020, Justice Kurada adjourned the case to January 25 and 26 , 2021.
Meanwhile , as usual , security was tight in the metropolis as all routes leading to the state high court were barricaded by the operatives of the Nigeria Police Force and other sister security agencies .
Fatimah Oyesanmi
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