Crimes

Railway vandalism: Witnesses’ absence stalls trial of APC Assembly candidate

The absence of prosecution witnesses, on Thursday, stalled the trial of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Nasarawa-Eggon West constituency in the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Mr. Yusuf Mada, over his alleged involvement in the vandalisation of railway tracks.

Mada had during the APC primaries in the state emerged as the flag bearer of the party to contest the Nasarawa-Eggon West state constituency seat in the 2023 general election.

However Mada, who was a Special Adviser to Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State, was arraigned in June 2021, alongside 29 others at the Federal High Court sitting in Lafia, the state capital, for allegedly vandalising railway tracks belonging to the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC).

In her ruling, the presiding judge, Justice Afolabi Nehizena, said the criminal case involving the 30 accused persons would be struck out if the prosecuting counsel fails to present witnesses in the next adjoined date.

The judge, therefore, adjoined the case to 21 July, 2023, for hearing and urged the prosecutor to ensure that their witnesses are present in court.

Earlier, the prosecuting counsel, Obafemi Alabi, representing the police, said the witnesses could not appear in court because they were among the police officers deployed to Ekiti State to monitor the governorship election in the state.

He, however, assured that the witnesses would be in the court unfailingly in the next adjourned date.

Speaking to journalists, the defence counsel, Innocent Lagi, expressed optimism that his clients would be vindicated at the end of the case, saying they were not guilty of the offence.

Samuel Emmanuel – Lafia

The Star