Human proper lawyer, Femi Falana. (picture: Channels TV)
Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has disagreed on an order by the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, for the switch of suspects arrested in Kwara State over allegations of homicide and prison conspiracy.
The lawyer made his positions recognized in a phone interview on Friday.
The police spokesperson, Jimoh Moshood, had mentioned the suspects have been transferred to Abuja for additional investigation within the allegations levelled towards them.
On whether or not the IGP’s order for the suspects’ switch to Abuja was lawful, Falana mentioned it was common for the investigation of prison circumstances to be transferred from any of the states of the federation to Abuja, including that the motion wouldn't cease the prosecution of such circumstances within the states the place offences have been dedicated.
According to the SAN, the investigation of circumstances will be transferred to Abuja “if, for instance, the Inspector General of Police receives a petition that there is manipulation of such cases at the local or zonal level.”
“In this specific occasion, for the reason that police declare that these prison suspects have made confessional statements, the investigation needs to be speedily concluded so that each one those that are indicted are charged to courtroom.
“Under the regulation, you can't cost them to courtroom in Abuja, they should be charged to courtroom the place the offence was dedicated however on a common foundation in Nigeria, each state police command is commonly directed to ship case information to Abuja based mostly normally on petitions, both by the complait or the accused individual that manipulation is suspected regionally or on the zonal stage.
“I have handled cases in Kwara where my clients were referred to Abuja as suspects and that is my experience in all states of the country. But at the end of the every investigation, the case file is sent to the Attorney General of the Federation, who will advise the police to charge to court. If it is a state offence, the suspect will be charged in the state High Court and if it is a federal offence, the suspect will be charged in the appropriate Federal High Court,” he instructed thge Punch.