Driver docked for attempted murder of Lagos judge

 A commercial bus driver, Mr. Kasali Quadri, was arraigned, weekend, for attempting to kill a Lagos High Court judge, Justice E. Adebajo.

Quadri, who has been in prison custody since March 2012, was arraigned before Justice Christopher Balogun of an Igbosere High Court sitting in  Lagos.

The defendant is facing a one-count charge of attempted murder proffered against him by the state.

However, when the charge was read, Quadri pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The defendant’s counsel, Oludare Falana and  Solomon Kehinde, both of the Falana and Falana’s Chambers, told the court that the defendant has been in detention for the past one year for a mere traffic offence.

Falana said he had a bail application for Quadri and that he was prepared to argue it.

Justice Balogun, however, adjourned the bail application to April 18, 2013 on the ground that he had to attend a meeting with the Chief Judge of LagosState.

When the trial judge, ordered that the prosecutor, Mr. W. Quadri, should take the evidence of Justice Adebajo, it was opposed by, the defendant’s counsel Mr Falana,  who told the Court that he has not been served with the proof of evidence,  though, the trial judge offered to give his own copy to Mr. Falana, which  he declined the offer on the ground that he would need to study the proof of evidence when he might have been properly served by the prosecutor and then proceed to consult with his client in order to prepare his defence and justice Balogun adjourned the matter  to May 2, 2013, for trial,  while Justice Adebajo stormed out of the Court and subjected the prosecutor to vulgar abuse for causing the case to be further adjourned.

All attempts by the prosecutor to explain his predicament to Justice Adebajo were unfruitile as he threatened to report him to the Lagos State Attorney-General.



-- Vanguard