A Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja has ordered the arrest of a factional National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Kabiru Turaki, over his failure to appear for arraignment in a criminal case instituted by the Nigeria Police Force.
The trial judge, Justice U.P. Kekemeke, issued the bench warrant on Thursday, ruling that the former minister had no valid reason to be absent from court despite being duly summoned.
Turaki is facing a one-count charge filed by the Nigeria Police Force on the directive of the Inspector-General of Police, accusing him of allegedly providing false information in a petition submitted in October 2022.
At the previous sitting on January 28, the court had fixed the matter for Turaki’s arraignment. However, proceedings could not go on as the defendant failed to attend court.
The prosecuting counsel had informed the court that Turaki was aware of the sitting, having been summoned earlier, and subsequently urged the court to issue a bench warrant for his arrest.
In response, defence counsel told the court that his client’s absence was due to a pending petition before the Chief Judge of the FCT High Court seeking the transfer of the case to another judge.
The defence also claimed that the petition raised concerns over confidence in the court’s handling of the matter.
Ruling on the submission, the trial judge held that the filing of a petition to the Chief Judge does not automatically halt criminal proceedings, except where a directive to that effect has been expressly issued.
The judge consequently rejected the defence’s argument and maintained that Turaki was obligated to appear before the court.
The case, which was earlier adjourned to March 5, took a new turn with Thursday’s order mandating law enforcement authorities to ensure the defendant’s arrest and production in court for arraignment.
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