Al Mustapha: Police Are Frustrating Our Case —Lagos Min. Of Justice

The Lagos State Ministry of Justice, Directorate of Public Prosecutions, has expressed its frustration at yesterday’s outcome of the case on the death of Kudirat Abiola, the wife of M K O Abiola the acclaimed winner of the June 12 1993 elections.

Justice Morenike Dada of the Lagos High Court at yesterday’s proceeding closed the case of prosecution, following their inability to produce two of their principal witnesses in court in the suit filed against Major Al-Mustapha, Mohammed Rabo-Lawal and Alhaji Lateef Sofolahan, the suspected killers of the late politician’s wife.

The Director of Public Prosecution, Mrs. Olabisi Ogungbesan, said that the outcome of the matter yesterday shows the extent that police are frustrating the Ministry’s effort to properly prosecute the case.

Mrs. O. Ogungbesan had applied to the court for an adjournment over the failure of two prosecution witnesses, retired Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Yusuf and Solomon Arase, a Commissioner of Police to appear in court but the court turned down her request and compelled her to close her case.

Mrs Odugbesan said Ahmed Yusuf consistently refused to come to court on the excuses of ill health and other related excuses despite the fact that the presiding judge adjourned the case to allow him show up in court four times.

She said the attitude of the police officers who are meant to be custodians of the law have turned round to frustrate the enforcement of the same law that they swore to protect.

She, however, said that necessary steps would be taken to reopen the case of the prosecution as the ministry of Justice was not happy about the outcome of the proceedings.

The presiding Judge Hon. Justice Dada while closing the case of the prosecution also expressed her disapointment at the police officers who incidentally are members of the Nigerian Bar Association and lawyers too.

The judge condemned their attitude which, she said, amounted to contempt and disrespect of the court of law.

—Henry Ojelu