PRESS RELEASE BY FESTUS KEYAMO CHAMBERS:
JUSTICE KULU ALIYU, CHIEF JUDGE OF ZAMFARA STATE, ORDERS THE REMAND OF LAWYER IN PRISON CUSTODY OVER ABSENCE OF ACCUSED IN COURT.
Today, Tuesday, December 4, 2012, our Head of Chambers received a distress call from one Barrister Ibrahim Abdullahi Jibril, who informed him of the following facts:
1. That he is the Defense Counsel in State v. Adamu Ambaya, a criminal charge pending before Justice Kulu Aliyu, Chief Judge of Zamfara State and has been representing the accused person in his capacity as a counsel.
2. That recently, a Criminal Summons was issued and served on him, to appear before Justice Kulu Aliyu, today Tuesday, December 4th, 2012, simply because his client (the accused person) jumped bail at the last adjourned date.
3. That upon getting to court, Justice Kulu Aliyu ordered that he should be remanded in prison custody, pending when the accused person is produced.
4. That he is NOT one of the persons who stood as surety for the accused person when he was granted bail.
5. He, however, was able to make the distress call to us just before he was taken away to Gusau prisons in Zamfara State.
It should, however, be recalled that sometime this year it was reported that the same Justice Kulu Aliyu summoned one Mallam Aliyu Mohammed Madachi, a Sharia High Court Judge, to appear before her over a ruling he delivered in the course of acting in his judicial capacity.
We cannot fathom or comprehend the rationale behind the actions or decisions mentioned above, as same are totally untenable in our judicial system. We cannot imagine why a lawyer or a judge should be punished or cowed for discharging his professional duties.
In the light of the above, we call on the Chief Justice of Nigeria to call Justice Kulu Aliyu to order and also order the immediate release of Barrister Ibrahim Abdullahi Jibril from prison custody.
Thank you.
MATTHEW OMONADE, ESQ.
Counsel
For: Festus Keyamo Chambers,
