By Damilare Adeleye
The Kaduna Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Wednesday, April, 24, arraigned four suspects before Justice A.A. Bello of the Kaduna State High Court.
The suspects, who were docked for alleged obstruction of lawful duty and assault against officers of the Commission, were identified as Rukayya Ahmed Mustapha, Sadiya Usman Mohammed, Ameera Uthman and Nafisat Usman.
They were arraigned on one-count separate charges bordering on obstruction of lawful duty.
The one count charge against Sadiya Usman Mohammed reads: ” That you, Sadiya Usman Mohammed on or about the 15th April, 2024 at Kaduna, within the jurisdiction of the Kaduna State High Court willfully obstructs officers of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) while carrying out an official assignment (effecting a lawful arrest at No. 13 Jafar Organizer Street, Rigachukun, Kaduna) and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 38(2)(a) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act, 2004 and punishable under Section 38(2)(b) of the same Act.”
All the four suspects pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were read to them, prompting prosecution counsel, K.S Ogunlade to pray for a trial date to bring the witnesses to court. He also sought the remand of the defendants in Kaduna Correctional Centre.
Justice Bello, after listening to all counsels, remanded three of the suspects at the Kaduna Correctional Centre while Sadiya Usman Mohammed who was a nursing mother was remanded in EFCC custody. He adjourned the case to May 2, 2024 for hearing of their bail applications.
The suspects were arrested for obstructing officers of the Kaduna Command of the EFCC while making efforts to arrest one Hadiza Usman, who had jumped bail severally and avoided being served her charges for arraignment.
While trying to effect the arrest, the four suspects openly attacked operatives of the Commission and assaulted three of them, dragging and pulling their uniforms and bit another operative close to his collarbone and another on his left hand respectively.
Despite the confrontation by the suspects, the officers maintained discipline and professionalism, subdued and arrested the suspects, with no violence at all.