The leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, Sheik Ibrahim El-Zakzaky and his wife have been discharged and acquitted by High Court sitting in Kaduna State.
The presiding judge, Justice Gideon Kurada, in a ruling upheld the no-case submission filed by Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky and his wife in an alleged culpable homicide, unlawful assembly and disruption of public peace levelled against them by the Kaduna State government.
The judge in his ruling held that the prosecutors failed to establish a prima facie case against the defendants.
The duo has been standing trial for four years on an eight-count charge of alleged culpable homicide, disruption of public peace and unlawful Assembly among others levelled against them by the Kaduna State government.
The defendants were brought to court on Wednesday morning by officials of the Nigerian Correctional Service amidst tight security.
The lead counsel and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr Femi Falana, had on July 1, argued that all the 15 witnesses presented by the prosecution counsel were unable to establish any connection between the alleged crimes of Sheikh El-Zakzaky and his wife.
Falana then prayed the court to rule in favour of his clients and dismiss the charges levelled against them as there was no criminal case that has been established against them so far by the Kaduna State government.
The trial of the leader of the proscribed Islamic Movement in Nigeria, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky began on May 15, 2018 where he was arraigned before a Kaduna State High Court over alleged homicide, unlawful assembly and disruption of public peace.
