A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) sitting in Abuja has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of former minister, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki (SAN), over his failure to appear in court.
The presiding judge, Justice Keke Meke, also dismissed an application filed by the defence counsel, Abdulaziz Ibrahim, seeking to quash the charges against the defendant.
Turaki is facing allegations of providing false information to the Nigeria Police Force, led by the Inspector General of Police.
The case was initially assigned to a High Court in Zuba. However, Turaki failed to appear for his arraignment. His legal team subsequently filed a petition against the judge and requested that the case be reassigned.
In his ruling on Thursday, Justice Meke held that there was no justifiable reason for the defendant’s absence, noting that Turaki was fully aware of the court proceedings. The judge therefore ordered his arrest.
During the hearing, prosecution counsel, Rabiu Umar, opposed the defence’s request to quash the charges, insisting that the case had merit and should proceed.
The court adjourned the matter to April 22 for Turaki’s arraignment.
