By Samuel Aruwan
Kaduna
Heavily armed security personnel were yesterday drafted to all routes leading to a Kaduna Upper Shariah Court over a case of defamation and criminal direct complaint filed by Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, former chief security officer to the late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, against a renowned Islamic cleric, Sheikh Sanusi Khalil.
As early as 7 am, hundreds of people, supporting both Al-Mustapha and Khalil started trooping into the court situated at Daura Road, Kaduna, ahead of 9am hearing, while security was beefed up inside the court premises with Anti-Bomb Police Squad strategically stationed in the court.
The security measure, according to one of the senior police officers who supervised police operations in and around the court, was taken to avoid any breakdown of law and order within and around court.
He added that they had got a security report that some people that interested in the case had conspired to cause chaos.
Our correspondent reports that at about 8:30 am, both Major Al-Mustapha and Sheikh Khalil with their separate convoys drove into the court with their lawyers and supporters.
At about 9am, one of the court clerks announced that the presiding judge, Malam Mustapha Umar, was attending a workshop somewhere and thereafter postponed hearing to May 22, 2014.
Al-Mustapha in a three-page application for issuance of criminal direct complaint summons, against the cleric by his lawyer, Barrister Sadau Garba, is accusing Sheikh Khalil of defamation of character and circulating falsehood in both CD and DVD plates within and outside the country, claiming that Al-Mustapha had been assigned responsibility of training some 1, 000 snipers to deal with opposition by President Goodluck Jonathan in Sani Zangon Daura Jummu’at Mosque in Kaduna.
This, according him, contravenes the provision of Section 137 (1) Shariah Penal Code 2002, Kaduna state.
Khalil thereafter left the court premises around 9:15 am, while Al-Mustapha left at about 9:45 in a white bus escorted by associates and security personnel after long conversations outside the court room.
