The Nigeria Police have denied responsibility
for the bungled prosecution of Aminu
Ogwuche, a suspected Boko Haram member
accused by the government of coordinating a
deadly bomb attack in Nyanya, a suburb of
Abuja, in April.
The police said the prosecution of Mr.
Ogwuche was handled by the State Security
Service, SSS, and the Attorney General of
Nigeria, and that police merely helped with
the extradition of the suspect from Sudan.
The statement came three days after a federal
judge dismissed a two-count terrorism charge
against Mr. Ogwuche for the Nyanya attack,
which killed more than 70 people.
“For the record, at no time did the Nigeria
Police arraign the suspect in court for
terrorism related offences,” a spokesperson for
the police, Emmanuel Ojukwu, said in
statement. “Moreover, the purported
prosecution/arraignment by the Police could
not have happened as the Police could not
prosecute a suspect it never arrested, never
investigated nor had in its custody.”
The blast at the Nyanya Motor Park occurred
during morning peak hours as residents were
hurrying to work.
The Nigerian government said Mr. Ogwuche
fled to Sudan after coordinating the attack. He
was later repatriated to Nigeria to face
charges.
At the resumed hearing Monday, the
prosecution counsel was absent from court.
“This criminal charge is hereby struck out for
want of diligent prosecution by the
complainant, Inspector General of Police and
his prosecutor,” the judge ruled.
The judge did not however order Mr.
Ogwuche’s release, an indication the state
could file fresh charges against him.
But the police said their role in the case was
only in facilitating the repatriation of Mr.
Ogwuche from Sudan to Nigeria.
The force said it was merely requested by the
SSS to help coordinate the extradition with
Interpol.
After that, police filed charges in court for
documentation to secure the approval of the
Sudanese government to repatriate Mr.
Ogwuche, Mr. Ojukwu said.
The statement, issued Thursday, appeared to
highlight the friction within the Nigerian law
enforcement community, which analysts have
blamed for the poor prosecution of criminal
cases in the past.
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