Court okays 4 for trial over Harry Marshal

Court okays 4 for trial over Harry Marshal

ABUJA — Four persons, Musa Babatunde, Sunday Ofuoku, Stephen Imodumeh and Friday Amaize were yesterday okayed for trial by an Abuja High Court sitting in Maitama, following their alleged involvement in the gruesome murder of a former Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, chieftain, Dr. Harry Marshal Isokrari in 2003.
The high court yesterday gave its go-ahead nod to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minster of Justice, Mohammed Adoke Bello, SAN, after it dismissed a ‘no-case-submission’, made before it by all the four accused persons in the criminal case.
Presiding Justice Ishaq Bello while delivering ruling on the matter yesterday, struck out a joint application filed by counsel to the accused quartet, Mr. Tony Agbonlahor, after he held that the proof-of-evidence tendered against them by the Federal Government disclosed enough prima-facie case to warrant their prosecution.
He decried the fact that the criminal case has dilly-dallied since 2004 when they were arraigned over the alleged murder, even as they ordered them to promptly file their defence on the matter before October 26, when the case was adjourned to.
They four accused persons are answering to charges bothering on conspiracy and culpable homicide, punishable under sections 97, 298 and 301 of Penal Code.
It would be recalled that Harry Marshal was on March 5, 2003, murdered in cold blood at his Abuja residence by alleged hired assassins.
The Rivers-born politician was equally an erstwhile Vice Chairman of the All Nigerian Peoples Party, ANPP, in the South-South geopolitical zone.