Just In: Court Strikes Out FG’s Militancy Case Against Jones Abiri

Jones Abiri Floors Federal Government In Court

A Magistrate Court sitting in Abuja has struck out the suit against Bayelsa based journalist, Jones Abiri for lack of jurisdiction.

Nigerian journalist, Jones Abiri who was detained for two years by the federal government, has won a suit against the state as a Hight Court just awarded him millions of naira in damages
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— Adeyemi Adedimeji S (@adeyemi_as) September 13, 2018

Naija News understands that the magistrate court in Abuja while striking out the suit against journalist Jones Abiri earlier today, described Abiri’s detention as a criminal intimidation.

This was following an application brought by Abiri’s lawyer, Samuel Ogala, who requested the court to transfer Mr Abiri’s trial to Bayelsa, since that was where he was arrested.

Naija News recalls Abiri is being tried over allegations that he is linked to a militant group in the Niger Delta.

#MostRead this week: CPJ welcomes release of Nigerian journalist Jones Abiri #Nigerianhttps://t.co/RMuB3L51K5

— Committee to Protect Journalists (@pressfreedom) August 18, 2018

Mr Ogala in the preliminary objection asked the court to hold that it lacked territorial jurisdiction to try the journalist in Abuja when the alleged crime was said to have taken place in Bayelsa.

The Magistrate, Chukwuemeka Nweke, agreed with the defence and thereafter struck out the suit.

Before his arraignment, Abiri had been detained by the Department of State Services (DSS) for two years without trial.

Last week, the court also ruled that the federal government pay Abiri the sum of N10.5m naira as damages for his illegal detention for two years.