Drama as a group of lawyers representing and defending a Kano-based cleric, Abduljabbar Nasiru-Kabara have reportedly announced their withdrawal from the suit.<\/p>\n
The cleric, Nasiru-Kabara, who is in detention at the Kurmawa correctional centre in Kano, is facing a four-count charge bordering on blasphemous comments against Prophet Muhammad.<\/p>\n
The charges were preferred against him by the Kano state government.<\/p>\n
Prosecuting counsel, Suraj Sa’eda stated that the defendant allegedly committed the offence on August 10, October 25, and December 20, 2019.<\/p>\n
Recall that the judge, Ibrahim Sarki-Yola at the court sitting on September 2, 2021 ordered that the defendant be taken to Dawanau Psychiatric Hospital for\u00a0mental evaluation.<\/p>\n
In a letter dated September 15 and addressed to the judge of the upper Shariah court, the lawyers said they have withdrawn from the case with suit numbers CR\/1\/2021 and CR\/631\/2021.<\/p>\n
\u201cFollowing what transpired between the defendant and his lawyers, as well as a meeting between him and the lawyers at the Kurmawa Correctional Centre on September 14, 2021, we are hereby announcing our withdrawal from the case. We hope the court will accept our withdrawal. We pray the Judge would do justice,\u201d the letter reads.<\/p>\n
In his response, Nasiru-Kabara accused his lawyers of professional misconduct, extortion and wrongful relationship with his wife.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey misled me not to respond to the charges earlier filed against me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201c[A] few days before coming to this court for the last sitting, the lawyers came to the correctional facility and informed me that charges would be read to me. Then they cautioned me that those charges were traps set to frame me, that if I accept those allegations, I have walked into a technical suicide trap that has been set against me.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately, on that day in court, I kept quiet as instructed. The court then ordered that I should undergo a mental and hearing test, and then my lawyers all sat did not object. Rather, I saw them chatting with the prosecution lawyers and I felt embarrassed. It is these same lawyers who joined me with a top civil servant in the state. I will not disclose the person\u2019s name.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, Rabiu Shuaibu Abdullahi, spokesperson of the team of lawyers, told journalists that they are not legally in a position to reveal what actually happened between them and their client.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are legal practitioners and are guided by professional ethics. So, there is no way we can reveal what happened between us and our client to the public,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, we call on our client, Sheikh Abduljabbar, to report the allegations he has against us, which he mentioned to the court this morning, to the proper authority so that we can be quizzed for violating professional ethics.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf by two weeks he fails to do that, we will be forced to take the necessary action to protect our image and integrity.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Drama as a group of lawyers representing and defending a Kano-based cleric, Abduljabbar Nasiru-Kabara have reportedly announced their withdrawal from the suit. The cleric, Nasiru-Kabara, who is in detention at the Kurmawa correctional centre in Kano, is facing a four-count charge bordering on blasphemous comments against Prophet Muhammad. The charges were preferred against him by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":83341,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_override_bookmark_settings":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[4251,18054,18052,18053],"class_list":["post-83335","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local","tag-blasphemy","tag-dawanau-psychiatric-hospital","tag-kano-cleric","tag-upper-sharia-court"],"yoast_head":"\n