Court Orders Kano’s Ex-commissioner Remanded over Criminal Defamation against Ganduje

Ibrahim Shuaibu

A Magistrate Court number 58, sitting at No-Man’s-Land in Kano State, has remanded a former Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure in the state, Muaz Magaji, in a correctional centre over alleged defamation of character against Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.

Magaji is facing a four-count charge, bordering on defamation of character, intentional insult, and injurious falsehood and inciting disturbance against Ganduje.

When the charges, which contravened Sections 392, 399 and 114 of the Administration of Criminal Justice of Kano State 1999, were read to Magaji by the prosecution counsel, Wada Ahmed Wada, he pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

Also, when the magistrate asked the defendant whether he knew the meaning of defamation of character, the former commissioner answered no, and the judge explained the meaning to him.

The judge, however, explained c in the First Information Report (FIR), that part of the charges was that he was being accused of posting Ganduje’s picture on Facebook with a lady, which portrayed the governor of having extra-marital affairs with other ladies and Magaji denied the allegations.

The prosecution counsel, therefore, applied for adjournment in order to present his case.

On his part, the defence counsel, Gazzali Ahmad, applied for bail of his client on health grounds, citing Sections 168, 172 and 174 of the Administration of Criminal Justice of Kano State 1999.

But the prosecution opposed the bail application on the grounds that the defence counsel did not tender sufficient evidence to prove his client’s alleged debilitating health condition.

He further said granting bail to the defendant could encourage the youths to defame the character of leaders and other innocent people.

The magistrate, to that extent, ordered the defendant to be remanded in prison custody and adjourned the case to February 3, 2022 for ruling on the bail application.

Magaji was first arraigned on Friday, January 28, but failed to take a plea due to alleged loss of hearing he suffered.

His lawyer, Ahmad, had argued that his client temporarily lost hearing owing to aural injuries he sustained after airbag discharge, in which the presiding judge ordered him to be remanded in the police headquarters hospital.