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Abba Kyari's Burial: Court Begins Case Against Garba Shehu, Boss Mustapha, Others Over COVID-19 Violation

At the commencement of the case, Chief Magistrate Celestine C.M Odo ordered the court's registrar to call out all the names of the defendants sequentially so that they can properly identify themselves.

Criminal complaint against Garba Shehu, Boss Mustapha and other top government personnel, who violated COVID-19 protocols, has commenced at the Magistrates Court, Life Camp, Kado, Abuja.

For violating government regulation on Coronavirus at the burial of late Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Abba Kyari, human rights lawyer, Tope Akinyode, filed direct complaint against Garba Shehu (Presidential spokesperson), Babagana Monguno (National Security Adviser, NSA), Ambassador Lawal Kazaure (Chief Protocol Officer), Yusuf Sabiu a.k.a Tunde (Special Assistant to the President), Musa Haro Daura, a nephew to the President, Mr Ahmad Rufai (Director-General of National Intelligence Agency), Bashir Ahmed (Personal Assistant on New Media to President Buhari), Boss Mustapha (SGF and Chairman of the PTF), Senator Hadi Sirika (Minister of Aviation), Mr Geoffrey Onyeama (the Minister of Foreign Affairs), Dr Aliyu Sani (the National Coordinator of the PTF) and Hajiya Dadiya Umar Farouq (Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development).

At the commencement of the case, Chief Magistrate Celestine C.M Odo ordered the court's registrar to call out all the names of the defendants sequentially so that they can properly identify themselves.

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Chief Magistrate Odo observed that the criminal complaint was not signed by the complainant. 

However, Akinyode argued the complaint was required to be signed only by the magistrate and there was no provision of the law mandating the complainant to sign the direct criminal complaint.

Akinyode said he filed an affidavit in compliance with Section 89 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act which he duly signed. 

The lawyer said that the law does not even require a direct criminal complaint to be in writing by law. 

Akinyode said pursuant to Section 89 (1) of the ACJA, he had the liberty to commence the direct criminal complaint orally and the magistrate or the court's registrar must record him accordingly. 

After the argument, Chief Magistrate Odo adjourned the matter until August 4 on his ruling on the matter and the continuation of the case.

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