The trial of six police officers in an FCT High Court charged with the alleged killing of six Abuja auto-spare parts dealers in 2005, suffered a setback on Thursday due to the strike by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN).
The accused policemen are Danjuma Ibrahim, Othman Abdulsalami (at large); Nicholas Zacharia, Emmanuel Baba, Emmanuel Acheneje and Sadiq Salami.
Agency reports recall that the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation is accusing the police officers of killing Ifeanyi Ozo, Chinedu Meniru, Isaac Ekene, Paulinus Ogbonna, Anthony Nwokike and Tina Arebun.
The deceased, aged between 21 and 25 years, were returning from a night party in 2005 when they were allegedly killed.
The trial has suffered several adjournments due to the absence of the trial judge, Justice Ishaq Bello, who was appointed as the Chairman of the Anambra Election Petitions Tribunal.
The matter which was adjourned for continuation of hearing could not go on because JUSUN directed all Federal Courts, including the Supreme Court, Court of appeal, Federal High Courts and FCT High Court to join the strike.
Mr Marwan Adamu, the National President of JUSUN, also directed members in the FCT Sharia Court of Appeal, FCT Customary Court of Appeal, National Industrial Court, Federal Judicial Service Commission, National Judicial Council and the FCT Judicial Service Commission to join the strike.
Union members blocked the entrance to the FCT High Court, Maitama, as the courts were locked as at 9 a.m. Lawyers, litigants and judiciary workers were prevented by security men from entering into the court’s premises.
The Hilux Bus conveying inmates, including the accused policemen, from the Kuje Prison, in Abuja, was also disallowed from entering the court premises.
