Justice Peter Kekemeke of the Federal Capital Territory High Court has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Tanimu Turaki, a factional National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), over his failure to appear in court for arraignment.
The warrant was issued after Turaki did not attend Thursday’s proceedings, where he was expected to take his plea on a charge filed by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) accusing him of giving false information to the police.
At the hearing, prosecution counsel Usman Rabiu informed the court that Turaki had been duly served with the charge and hearing notice but was absent without explanation. He subsequently invoked Section 396(2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015, urging the court to compel the defendant’s appearance.
Rabiu also opposed a motion filed by defence counsel Abdulaziz Ibrahim, SAN, which sought to quash the charge. He argued that such an application could only be entertained after the defendant had taken his plea.
In response, Ibrahim requested additional time to file written addresses, maintaining that his client’s presence was not required until the motion was determined.
In his ruling, Justice Kekemeke held that Turaki’s absence was unjustified, noting that the defence did not dispute that the defendant had been properly served.
The judge ruled that under Section 396(2) of the ACJA, a defendant who is aware of a pending charge but fails to appear in court may be compelled through a bench warrant.
He further held that the motion to quash the charge was premature and could only be considered after arraignment.
The court consequently ordered Turaki’s arrest to ensure his appearance and adjourned the case until April 22 for arraignment.
