Harry Marshal’s Alleged Killers Set Free

Seven years after the gruesome murder of the former Deputy National of All Nigerian Peoples Party, ANPP, Dr. Marshal Harry, four persons standing trial for the dastardly act were Friday discharged and acquitted by an Abuja High court for lack of substantial evidence against them.

The accused persons, Sunday Ofuoku, Musa Babatunde, Friday Amaize and Stephen Imodu were set free by Justice Ishaq Bello who held that the prosecution has failed woefully to link the accused persons with the gruesome murder as there was nothing before the court to convict them.

In his judgment, Justice Bello held that there is a great need for the court to tread cautiously with circumstantial evidence brought by the prosecution because as the saying goes, it is better for a guilty person to go unpunished than for the innocent person to be wrongly punished.

“The confessional statements of the accused have failed the acid test and are not enough to convict the accused persons. Incidentally, the police who are the accuser are the same time witnesses and prosecutors.  There is no doubt the death of Harry Marshal is painful, but I cannot make definite statements that the four people standing trial killed him as there is no substantial evidence before me linking the accused persons to the c rime”.

Justice Bello further held that the identity of the killers was not proved by the prosecutors and that the court cannot speculate as to whether the accused persons were actual perpetrators of the crime. He subsequently discharged and acquitted the accused persons of the charge of murder.

The court however sentenced Mr. Stephen Imodu to five years imprisonment for illegal possession of firearms, which is to begin from the day he was arrested and detained.