Justice Gideon Kurada of Kaduna High Court has discharged and acquited leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) otherwise known as Shi’ites, Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky and his wife, Zeenat.
The IMN leader and his wife stood trial over allegations of culpable homicide, unlawful assembly, among other criminal charges since December 2015, following a clash between his followers and convoy of the then Chief of Army Staff, Lt-General Tukur Yusuf Buratai in Zaria.
The court had fixed July 28 for ruling in the no-case submission filed by Zakzaky.
Justice Gideon Kurada had fixed the date after the prosecution and counsel to the defendants addressed the court on the no-case submission prayer
Briefing journalists after the secret trial, counsel to Zakzaky, Marshal Abubakar, said the court upheld their no-case submission and agreed the case lacks merit.
It is earlier reported that, leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky, who has been in detention since December 2015 will know his fate today.
Kaduna State High Court presided over by Justice Gideon Kurada would give judgment in his case, along with his wife Zeenah.
The couple have been standing trial in the court for the past four years.
President Media Forum of the Islamic Movement, Ibraheem Musa, disclosed the judgment day in a press statement he issued to newsmen on Tuesday.
Musa said the court is expected to pass judgement on the No-Case-Submission prayer presented by the lead Counsel to Sheikh Zakzaky, Mr Femi Falana SAN.
Falana had argued that even though the prosecution called 15 witnesses, none of them was able to establish any connection between the alleged crimes and Sheikh El- Zakzaky.
In the last sitting of the court held on 1 July, , the lead Counsel prayed the court to rule in favour of his clients.
If that happens, then the Sheikh and his wife will be set free since their arrest and detention in December, 2015.
Two other courts had earlier upheld the no case submission in respect of almost 200 members of the Islamic Movement who were slammed with the same charge as Sheikh Zakzaky.
The members were discharged and acquitted.
Also in 2016 a federal high court in Abuja restored the fundamental human rights of the embattled Sheikh and his wife and set him free.
However the Buhari government refused to obey the court order.
