By Wilson Adekumola
The Governor of Kano State, Abba Yusuf, has disclosed that he would resume the murder case charged against the immediate past Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Alhassan Doguwa, who was accused of killing three people.
Mr Doguwa was accused of the murder of three people believed to be the members of the opposition New Nigeria Peoples Party during the 25 February election during a clash between members of the NNPP and the All Progressives Congress in Tunda Wada Local Goverment Area of the state.
The campaign office of the NNPP was also reportedly razed during the violent confrontation.
The immediate past Attorney General, and Commissioner for Justice of the state, Musa Lawan, said earlier this month that the government was dropping the murder charge originally filed against Mr Doguwa by the police.
He explained that the government cannot corroborate the charges of criminal conspiracy, mischief by fire, and culpable homicide against lawmaker.
Mr Lawan stated this after the police submitted a report of its investigation of the incident to the Kano State government for review and possible prosecution of Mr Doguwa and 14 others.
Mr Doguwa, a member of the immediate past ruling party in the state, the All Progressives Congress had accused the police of bias, leading to a review of the investigation by the police authorities.
“Based on the contradicted witnesses received, those that indicted were full of contradictions while others exonerated him (Mr Doguwa) according to the police investigation report submitted to the Kano State government.
“After scrutiny, we cannot establish a murder charge against Alhassan Ado Doguwa and other accomplices including the police officers whose ammunition was intact after the incident.
“By law, if you have a contradiction in evidence against a suspect, you can pick the one that exonerates him against the ones that have contradictions, this made us to arrive that we cannot charge them in court,” Mr Lawan said while dropping the murder the murder charges against the lawmaker.
Meanwhile, the newly inaugurated Kano Governor vowed to resume and pursue the case to logical conclusion.
“In the same vein we shall investigate all cases of political violence that led to loss of lives and properties across the state in the last eight years.
“The infamous case of Alhassan Ado Doguwa, who allegedly sponsored the maiming and murder of over 15 innocent souls in Tudun Wada Local Government will be pursued to its logical conclusion,” the new governor said in his inaugural speech.
