Suswan’s ill health stalls trial on illegal fi rearms

Th e ongoing trial of a former governor of Benue state, Gabriel Suswan for alleged unlawful possession of fi rearms and money laundering charges, has been stalled at a Federal High Court in Abuja. Th e former governor who was incarcerated for more than 43 days by the Department of the State Security Service (DSS), was said to have taken ill and being attended to at an undisclosed hospital in Abuja. Counsel to the former governor, Mr. Joseph Bodunde Daudu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) disclosed the news of illness of his client, prompting the arraignment to be deferred till a time when the ex-governor would have recovered fully. Th e federal government, through the DSS, is prosecuting Suswan before Justice Gabriel Kolawole an account of huge arms and ammunition found in some vehicles traced to him in Abuja. For close to two months, the ex-governor was in the custody of the DSS, whose operatives said they detained the suspect to enable them carry out detailed investigation into the source and purpose of the huge fi rearms. Suswan had last week withdrew the N10billion suit slammed on the DSS, its Director General. And the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, over his arrest and detention without trial. Upon the former governor’s request, Justice Kolawole struck out the suit. Th e court struck out the suit following an application by counsel to the former governor, Joseph Daudu (SAN) for the withdrawal of the suit on the ground that his client was on Sunday May 7, 2017 released from the detention by the DSS.

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