Kogi: Two Different Courts Fix Same Date for Same Trial of Activist Austin Okai

Two courts have fixed the same date for hearing on the same trial of political activist Usman Austin Okai who is standing trial for comments made against the Kogi State governor Yahaya Bello.

At the Magistrate Court in Lokoja Thursday morning, Barr. Williams Aliwo, the defense counsel to Okai had prayed the court to quash the case against his client by men of the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) just as the same case had also been filed by SARS at the Federal High Court in Lokoja.

According to Barr. Williams, the trial of Okai by two different courts for the same offence brought against him by the same plaintiff, was an abuse of the court process. He said it would be a double jeopardy against his client to allow the continuation of the same case in two different courts at the same time.

But the presiding judge, Justice Levi N. Animoku took time to verify from the judge handling the said case at the Federal High Court after which he then adjourned the case to the 21st of June, 2017, the same date earlier fixed by the Federal High Court in Lokoja for ruling on the ongoing case.

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