An Ilorin Magistrate Court presided-over by Magistrate Abubakar Mohammad Ndakene will on Thursday 8th February,2018 resume the hearing on a criminal matter instituted against the immediate past National President of the Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union ( IEDPU), Alhaji Abdul Hamid Adi.
It will be recalled that the trial Judge at the last sitting ordered the accused to appear at the next sitting after failing to appear before the Court.
At the last sitting while ruling on an oral application moved by Barrister Olusola Olaolu, who appeared on behalf of her Principal, Mr. Oba Magaji, for the duo of Lawyer Shehu Abdullahi Magaji and Dr.Tajudeen Ishola in a criminal matter they instituted before the Court against Alhaji Adi.
The learned counsel had raised the application requesting for the issuance of a bench warrant against Adi following his alleged deliberate refusal to appear in person to answer the charges levelled against him by the two members of the Ilorin Emirate’s main socio-cultural organization which the accused led between 2013 and last year.
Mrs Olaolu contended that Adi was intentionally evading appearance in Court despite the summon duly issued to him last year, noting that the act was a show of contempt for the Court as she concluded that issuing a bench warrant against him would compell him to appear in person as required by law for the trial to start in earnest.
However, Mr.Zakariyah who appeared for Adi explained that the accused’s absence was based on the alteration noted on the summon which he, received on behalf of his client.
Delivering his ruling, Magistrate Ndakene condemned the disposition of Adi to the case which he said was a show of clear disrespect to the Court.
The learned Judge opined that, under the law and as far as the matter before him was concerned, Adi had no choice but to appear in Court.
He therefore ruled that Alhaji AbdulHamid Adi must appear in court in person on Thursday 8th February,2018 when the court would continue it’s sitting on the matter.