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Election Petition Prompts Court To Adjourn Trial of El-Zakzaky, Wife Indefinitely

Presiding judge, Justice Gideon Kurada, said the indefinite adjournment is "following his appointment to serve as the judge in the Presidential and National Assembly Elections Petitions Tribunal in Yobe".

A Kaduna State High Court sitting in Kaduna on Monday indefinitely adjourned the trial of the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), also known as Shi'ites, Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, and his wife Zinat.

El-Zakzaky and Zinat are standing trial over allegations of culpable homicide, unlawful assembly, and disruption of public peace, among others.

Presiding judge, Justice Gideon Kurada, said the indefinite adjournment is "following his appointment to serve as the judge in the Presidential and National Assembly Elections Petitions Tribunal in Yobe".

Femi Falana, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and lead counsel to the defendants, said aside the absence of the trial judge, his clients were in dire need of medical attention, the reason they could not appear in court.

Falana potested that his clients had not been given adequate medical care since December 14, 2015 when they were detained.

“So, the court has adjourned sine die, meaning, indefinitely," he said.

On January 22, the court had ordered the Kaduna State Government to avail the IMN leader and his wife access to medical care.