By Our Correspondent
National News – A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja on Thursday ordered the arrest of Kabiru Turaki, a factional National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, after he failed to appear for his arraignment in a criminal case filed by the police.
The trial judge, Justice U.P. Kekemeke, issued a bench warrant directing law enforcement authorities to arrest the former minister and present him before the court for arraignment.
The order followed Turaki’s absence during court proceedings despite an earlier directive requiring him to appear before the court.
Justice Kekemeke ruled that the defendant had not provided a valid explanation for failing to attend the hearing, prompting the court to approve the prosecution’s request for a bench warrant.
Turaki, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and former Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs under former President Goodluck Jonathan, is being prosecuted by the office of the Inspector-General of Police.
The case centers on a one-count charge accusing him of allegedly providing false information to the police in a petition dated October 2022.
The matter first came up for arraignment on January 28, but proceedings could not continue because the defendant did not appear in court. Prosecutors again urged the court to compel his appearance after he failed to honour the summons.
During Thursday’s hearing, Turaki’s defence counsel told the court that his client did not attend the proceedings because a petition had been submitted to the Chief Judge of the FCT High Court requesting that the case be reassigned to another judge.
According to the defence, the request was based on an alleged lack of confidence in the court handling the matter.
However, Justice Kekemeke ruled that filing a petition to transfer a case does not automatically halt ongoing criminal proceedings unless the Chief Judge formally orders otherwise.
Consequently, the court granted the prosecution’s application and ordered Turaki’s immediate arrest so he can be brought before the court to face the charge.
The case was subsequently adjourned pending further proceedings after the execution of the bench warrant.
