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Enioluwa Adeniyi
Guest
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), has initiated steps to withdraw charges against 32 minors recently arraigned before Justice Obiora Egwuatu at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
In a statement released late Friday, hours after the arraignment, Fagbemi expressed his intent to assume control of the case from the Inspector General of Police, citing a need to review specific issues related to the matter.
“There are some issues my office will need to look into regarding the matter to enable me to make an informed decision,” he stated.
Fagbemi added that, although he cannot modify the court’s decision to remand the minors in detention centers and set the trial date to January, he had directed the police to transfer the case file to the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation (DPPF) for an immediate review.
“I have further directed the DPPF to immediately initiate steps to request an earlier adjournment date,” Fagbemi said.
A source within the Federal Ministry of Justice who spoke with Punch confirmed that the Inspector General of Police had promptly submitted the case file to the AGF’s office, and plans are underway to expedite proceedings to withdraw charges.
The source noted that efforts are being made for the court to reconvene this week, ahead of the previously set January 24, 2025 date.
“The police have submitted the case file, and the parties are working together. The court will reconvene early this week,” the source said.
Also, the defence counsel for all 119 defendants, Marshall Abubakar, confirmed to the platform that steps were being taken to drop the charges against the children this week, especially since the AGF had requested the transfer of the case file.
“The government has been calling; the AGF has called. I think, most likely, by next week (this week), we will get the charges thrown out,” Abubakar said.
He also confirmed that the minors among the 119 remanded protesters were in the custody of the SARS IRT, adding that they were kept in a large hall as the purported Borstal system for juvenile detention was non-existent.
Abubakar further stated, “The children were taken to IRT SARS. There is a big hall there where they are kept because there is actually no Borstal Centre.”
Another source knowledgeable about the case told Punch on Saturday that the AGF’s office was considering filing an affidavit of urgency and an application on Monday before the court.
The source said, “This means if the application is granted, the case will come up on Tuesday. Hopefully, the case will be discontinued.”
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