Nigerian govt. increases Senator Misau charges

The Nigerian government on Tuesday amended the criminal charges it preferred against Senator Isah Misau before an Abuja High Court at Maitama by increasing the counts from five to seven.

Two new allegations were levelled against the embattled lawmaker on a day the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN, engaged a private prosecutor to handle the case on behalf of the government.

Misau, who is representing Bauchi Central Senatorial District, is facing trial for making “injurious falsehood” against the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Mr. Ibrahim Idris and the Nigeria Police Force.

At the resumed proceeding on the case, the new prosecutor, Dr. Alex Iziyon, SAN, told the court that the AGF issued him a fiat to handle the trial and to also apply for a subpoena that was issued to compel the IGP to appear as a witness in the matter to be quashed.

The two new allegations against Misau read: “That you Isah Hamman Misau of Hamman Misau Residence, Turaki Street, Misau, Bauchi State on or about 26th August, 2017 at Abuja and other part of Nigeria, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, did make a false statement of fact to wit: that the Inspector-General of Police is scoring high marks by making almost half of the mobile commanders in the country, people of his Nupe extraction which said false statement of fact was published in the This Day Newspaper and The Punch Newspaper both dated 26th August, 2017, knowing that such false statement of fact would harm the reputation of Mr. Ibrahim Kpotun Idris (the serving Inspector-General of Police) and the Nigeria Police Force and you thereby committed an offence.

“That you Isah Hamman Misau of Hamman Misau Residence, Turaki Street, Misau, Bauchi State on or about 26th August, 2017 at Abuja and other part on Nigeria within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did make a false statement of fact wit: that the incumbent Inspector-General of Police, based on available records, series of petitions and reports from insiders, has no capacity to run the Police just like the Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Rtd IGP Mike Okiro, who also lacks similar capacity going N300 million scam and others hanging on his neck since 2011 during the presidential primary election of the People’s Democratic Party where he served as the head of the security committee which said false statement of fact was published in the Thisday Newspaper and the Punch Newspaper both dated 26th August, 2017 knowing that such false statement of fact would harm the reputation of Mr. Ibrahim Kpotun Idris (the serving Inspector-General of Police), Rtd IGP Mike Okiro, the Nigeria Police Force and the Police Service Commission and you thereby committed an offence”.