Forgery: FG’s prosecution committee meets on Saraki’s case today

Ade Adesomoju, Abuja

Clues to the next line of action of the of the Federal Government are likely to emerge on the forgery case which was last Friday dropped against Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and others, after a meeting of the National Prosecution Coordination Committee scheduled to hold in Abuja today.

The meeting was initially scheduled to hold at the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions shortly after the charges were withdrawn on Friday, but the time was too short to mobilise everyone that needed to be part of it.

Some members of the committee confirmed to our correspondent that the team of prosecutors handling the case which was led by a former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Kano State, Mr. Aliyu Umar (SAN), and the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Umar Mohammed, would be at the meeting now scheduled to hold today.

But the spokesperson for the committee, Mr. Salihu Isah, who doubles as the Special Adviser to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice on Media and Publicity, could not be reached for his comment on Sunday.

Calls made to his telephone line indicated that it was not available.

It was, however, learnt from two members of the committee that the whole situation leading to the withdrawal of the case and the evidence available would be reviewed at the meeting.

Our correspondent gathered that the committee would consider the possibility of getting more evidence and refiling the case against all or some of the discharged defendants, depending on the available evidence.

A member of the committee told our correspondent, “We will determine the next line of action at the meeting.”

The Federal Government on Friday withdrew the two counts of forgery it instituted on June 10, 2016, against Saraki, his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, along with a former Clerk to the National Assembly, Salisu Maikasuwa, and his deputy, Benedict Efeturi.

While it was being reported in the media that the prosecution was still searching for evidence to nail Saraki and Ekweremadu, the lead prosecuting counsel, Mr.  Aliyu Umar (SAN), told the trial judge, Justice Yusuf Halilu, of the Jabi Division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, on Friday, that the charges were being withdrawn because of a pending case related to the charges before the Federal High Court in Abuja.