Court strikes out murder charge against Ekiti APC chairman, three others

An Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti on Wednesday struck out the murder charge preferred against the state All Progressives Congress (APC) Chairman Olajide Awe and three others.

Awe, the first defendant in the suit was accused by the state of complicity in the murder of Murphy Jeje and attempted murder of Mrs. Juliana Adewumi in Erijiyan Ekiti on March 31, 2013.

A Federal High Court sitting in Jos, Plateau State had earlier granted an interlocutory injunction restraining the arrest of Awe in 2015.

Similarly, Justice Bamidele Omotoso of Ekiti High Court 7 struck out the case upon the application of the prosecution counsel for an order striking out the names of 1st to 4th defendants for inability to bring the accused persons to the court for trial.

Other defendants in the murder case are John Faboro Ojo (2nd), Aniramu Basiru (3rd), Falayi Busuyi (4th), Owonifari Sefiu (5th) and Adenijo Sola (6th).

Prosecution counsel Yakubu Dauda applied that the names of Awe and three other defendants be struck out consequent upon failure to physically bring them to trial.

Dauda, however, urged the court to continue with the trial of the two other accused persons, Sola Adenijo and Sefiu Owonifari.

Counsel to the accused, Ibrahim Olanrewaju, explained that the matter was struck out and charges against the accused persons dropped.

Olanrewaju said the court had no option than to strike out the charge under the Administration of Criminal Justice Law.

He stressed that trial in absent was unknown to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

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