Court adjourns El-Zakzaky’s arraignment to August 2

Sheik Ibrahim El-Zakzaky

A Kaduna High Court on Wednesday adjourned the arraignment of the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, and his wife Zinat, until August 2.

Justice Gideon Kurada adjourned the matter to enable the prosecution to serve the two other persons standing trial with the Shiites leader.

Speaking to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) after the court session, prosecution counsel, Chris Umar, said that the adjournment was to enable them to serve the 3rd and 4th respondents in the charges.

Also speaking to NAN, counsel to El-Zakzaky, Maxwell Kyom, said the other respondents in the charges before the court were yet to be served.

Mr Kyom who declined to mention the names of the 3rd and 4th respondents stated that “the 3rd and 4th respondents are not necessarily in the matter until they have been served”.

He further said that they had filed their bail application to the court and the prosecution had also filed their response though it was late.

“In respect to that, we also applied for a short date to reply the prosecution’s counter-affidavit,” he said.

NAN reports that the Kaduna State Government had brought an eight-count charge against El-Zakzaky and his wife.

The IMN leader, his wife and two others are charged with alleged conspiracy and abating culpable homicide among other related offences.