NAN – A 21-year-old man, Emmanuel Joseph, accused of robbing his victims of valuables worth N5 million, has been set free by the Gudu Upper Area Court in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The decision made other accused persons brought to the court on different charges to go into wild jubilation, stalling the court’s proceedings for several minutes.
The Judge, Alhaji Umar Kagarko discharged the accused due to abandonment of the case by the prosecution.
He noted that the prosecution had not made an appearance for the fourth time since the case was mentioned in October 2015.
Kagarko therefore said the court had no reason to continue with the trial and discharged and acquitted the accused.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Joseph was arraigned by the police for allegedly conspiring with others, still at large, to steal valuables worth over N5 million at Berger junction and Bwari.
The accused was said to have been rescued by a police patrol team when a mob attacked him.
The court had granted N500,000 bail to the accused with a reliable surety, but failed to meet the conditions.
Earlier, the lawyer to the accused, Jalaludeen Ahmed, had lamented over the incessant absence of the prosecution in court in spite of several notices.
He therefore prayed the court to strike out the case against Joseph, a request granted by the court
