Murder: Police move Deji Adeyanju to Kano for acquittal verification

The Police have moved activist Deji Adeyanju to Kano State to verify claims that he was acquitted and discharged in 2014 in a murder case by Justice Mohammed Haliru of Kano High Court.

One of the activist’s associates Dare Atoye told The Punch on Tuesday that Mr Adeyanju who had been in custody since last Thursday had been taken to Kano.

Adeyanju’s lawyer Tolu Babaleye had stated that his client was being detained in connection with a murder charge for which he and three others were acquitted over four years ago.

According to him, despite denying the allegation of homicide and providing the Certified True Copy of the judgment which acquitted and discharged him of the charge, the police had refused to let him go.

“On receipt of the said judgment from us, the IPO (Investigating Police Officer) made a statement that made us to be curious and to know that something is fishy when he said the Police wanted to revisit a case that had been decided by a competent court of law and which case is now caught up with the long established principle of ‘utre fois acquit’ which makes the case a dead issue that cannot be reawakened,” the lawyer said.

Mr Babaleye queried the rationale for the detention of his client, noting that the force had restricted access to Adeyanju since he was placed in the cell last Thursday.

“Looking at the charge in issue, four persons were involved namely, Alhaji Muhammad Baba, Adeyanju, Musa Daura and Kabiru Ahmad; Why did Nigeria Police arrest only Adeyanju?

“Why did Police not conduct an investigation first to find out the true position of things about this case that had already been decided in favour of our client?” Babaleye asked.