Nigeria’s House of Representatives majority leader, Alhasan Ado Doguwa, has said his trial for homicide in Kano State was masterminded by his political foes, insisting that he was not involved in the shooting of anyone during the last presidential and National Assembly election in the state.
Doguwa, who is being remanded in a correctional centre in Kano, swore that he owes no gun and does not know how to use one.
He told Nigerian Sketch reporter through one of his media aides that his travail was linked to his political victory at polls on Saturday, the 25 of February, 2023.
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According to him, he feels very demoralized for being subjected to ‘unfair media trial’ when his own side of the story has not been heard.
“There’s so much propaganda being circulated out there, and when I heard what they are saying about me, I feel so bad. My opponents have occupied the media space with their propaganda, and no one cared to hear my side of the story. It’s very terrible.”
Doguwa said “on three occasions prior to the election, my property was vandalized by thugs from a rival political party; my vehicles were razed at Filin KASCO in Tudun Wada; the storage house were I kept food items meant for distribution to people in my constituency as palliative to ease the hardship caused by currency scarcity were looted; and my Guest House at the Isyaku Rabiu Estate was isolated for vandalization on the day Kwankwaso came to Kano few days to election.
“I reported all these to the police and the DSS, but nothing was done till now.
“Now, mind you, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) in charge of CID who arrested me and has been spearheading my investigation and prosecution is a biological brother to my political foe, Nura Dankadai, who raised the petition that led to my arrest.
“Take note that this was the first time I’m winning an election in Tudun Wada, and we got reports that some NNPP boys were going to raze the INEC office which was near the Kwankwasiyya office in the local government. I understood that they were aiming to sabotage my electoral victory in Tudun Wada. So, we rushed to inform the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in the local government and the Area Commander.
“We were there with the police as the NNPP boys came and engaged our supporters. That was how INEC office was rescued until the election results were announced, and I was declared winner.
“All of a sudden, they started circulating the falsehood that I shot someone and so on. They got the DCP CID to arrest me in such an unprecedented haste.
“It is important to note that the DPO to whom we reported the planned arson, who was present when the clash between our men and NNPP men happened, was not contacted.
“So far, investigation reports that are available do not contain the position of the men of the police on ground. All that they have are narratives from politicians belonging to the other side. The FIR preferred against me was based on such a one-sided and biased report.
“And, as I pointed out earlier, the head of the CID is a biological brother to one of the politicians involved. He has not been unbiased so far. In fact, he can never be seen to be unbiased.”
Doguwa said he is ready to face trial, but he demanded that the trial must be fair.
“I’m a law-abiding citizen. I’m not above the law. I’m ready to face trial, only that justice must not only be done, it must be seen to have been done. I did not shoot a gun at anyone.
“Do you know that the alleged victim of the gun-shot, who said he knew me, could not even identify me during a suspect parade? Instead, he pointed at the local government chairman as the person that shot him,” he said.
“That tells you one of two things. Either that he does not really know who shot him but was tutored to mention my name, or that he really knew who shot and had identified him appropriately.
“I swear in the name of Almighty Allah, I did not shoot a gun at anyone. I don’t own a gun and I don’t know how to shoot a gun. The only time I ever held a gun was for a ceremonial shooting when I represented the Speaker of the House of Representatives at the commissioning of a military unit in Kano State.”
Meanwhile, a Kano-based legal practitioner had opined that since the lawmaker is being charged mainly for homicide and unlawful possession of forearms, the matters are supposed to be prosecuted before the state High Court.
He queried the rationale behind taking him to the Magistrate’s Court.
“They want to exercise the powers under a section of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) which says they can keep him for seven days, and extent it for another seven days. But those powers have been declared unconstitutional in various judicial cases.
“So why did they have to take him there, when a deputy commissioner of police is in charge of the matter. This smacks of suspicion they were deliberately out to witch-hunt him.
“Also, the FIR involves interview of his political opponents only. No security reports from Tudun Wada local government; nothing from the DPO or any other security operatives in Tudun Wada.
“It appears that the DCP CID, Umar Dankadai, is willing to rely only on skewed opinions.
“I’m particularly bothered that the DCP and the former commissioner for budget and planning, who resigned from his position to join NNPP, Nura Dankadai, are brothers. That is a premeditated bias. The whole thing may have been planned to embarrass the lawmaker, and to keep him out of circulation so that the coming gubernatorial election will be conducted without his participation. I think it could be political persecution,” the lawyer, who does not want to be named said.
But, Bashir Yusuf Tudun Wuzurci, the lawyer who wrote the letter of complaint leading to Doguwa’s arrest, said “we put pressure on the police to take him before the Magistrate’s Court when we realised that there were moves to release him.
“We realised that the police case diary was ready, having gotten witnesses, but charges have not been preferred, and under the ACJL remand proceedings is allowed, so the Magistrate’s court is not holding him under the pretex that it can hear the matter. It is based on remand proceedings.”
A political associate of the lawmaker told Nigerian Sketch that “Alhasssan Ado Doguwa is facing a real conspiracy to stop him from emerging the Speaker of the House of Representatives in the coming dispensation. This conspiracy is not against him as a person alone. It is eaqually against Kano State as a whole. Our state stands the chance to clinch the number four seat in the country this time, and some people want to truncate that chance. It is unfortunate.”
