BOKO HARAM SPONSORSHIP: Court refuses to grant secret trial for Senator Ndume

A Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday refused an application for the trial of Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume who is accused of sponsoring the Boko Haram sect, to be conducted in secret.
The application was filed by the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke, SAN.
Ruling on the application, Justice Gabriel Kolawole said that the application was not strong enough to be granted in full.
Justice Kolawole held that while the accused was entitled to fair hearing and fair trial, the state owed the responsibility of protecting the lives of prosecution witnesses during the trial.
He said that the application was caught between fair hearing/trial and state responsibility, thereby necessitating the court to strike a balance between the two ends.
He added that witnesses would be shielded under a special arrangement by the court but that they would not be masked.
Kolawole also said that only members of the press and parties in the suit would be allowed into the court room.
Justice Kolawole adjourned the case to November 11 and 12 to commence the trial
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN