NAN-H-67
Case
By Tukur Muntari
Warawa (Kano State), Sept. 20, 2016 (NAN) A Magistrates’ Court sitting in Warawa, Kano State, on Wednesday adjourned the case involving six herdsmen and a rice farmer, Alhaji Adamu Mohammed, over alleged destruction of rice farms by the herdsmen to Oct. 4 for hearing.
The accused were charged for inciting disturbance and mischief.
The State Counsel, Mr Mutawakil Isaq, had on resumption of the case told the court that although the case was fixed for hearing on Tuesday, Sept. 20, he had yet to receive the case diary from the Police Area Command, Wudil.
Similarly, he said he intended to join the two cases to have a single information before the court for ease of prosecution.
“This is because the complainants, the accused and witnesses are the same.
“Further more, the subject matter of the two cases is the same and happened on the same date and time.
“More importantly, there are suspects who are still at large and they cannot be tried in absentia,” he said.
He, therefore, urged the court to adjourn the case to another date for hearing, adding that in the interim, we would do the needful to come ready and prepared to prosecute the case.
The Defence Counsel, Mr A. M. Usman, said in his submission that he had no objection to the application to merge the two cases.
He wondered why the state counsel could not receive the case file during the last adjournment date.
The presiding officer, Magistrate Asma’u Mohammed, said in view of the reasons given by state counsel, the court had no option than to adjourn the case to Oct. 4, to enable the state counsel get the case diary.
She, however, said that the bail of the accused should continue. (NAN)
MTM/IM
=======
(Edited Ibrahim Mammaga)