A magistrate court in Birnin Kebbi has thrown out a contempt case brought against Safiyanu Bala, a factional chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC). The defendant, who had been brought to court directly from the hospital for the continued hearing, saw the proceedings take an unexpected turn.
During the session, state prosecutor Magistrate Abdullahi-Koko informed the court that he had discovered the same matter was already pending before the High Court in Birnin Kebbi. He subsequently asked the court to strike out the case so that the involved parties could pursue the issue in the appropriate jurisdiction.
Defense counsel Mudasir Sani backed the prosecution’s stance, confirming that the case was indeed already under consideration by the High Court. In his ruling, Magistrate Abubakar Abdullahi-Koko struck out the case, citing the agreement between both legal teams. He simply stated, “The case is hereby struck out.”
The contempt charge had been filed by Abdulrazak Abubakar, another factional chairman within the ADC, who alleged that Bala had violated a court order and incited public disobedience. Notably, in a previous hearing, defense lawyer Ahmad Fingilla had walked out of the courtroom after the magistrate refused to recuse himself over claims of bias.