Panel adjourns case of alleged extortion, police brutality over inappropriate summon

The Kaduna State panel of inquiry into acts of police brutality, on Wednesday adjourned a case of alleged extortion and police brutality filed by a businessman.

The Chairman of the panel, Justice David Shiri, said the summon was inappropriately served and there was no specific identity of the officers alleged to have committed the offence.

He also said the petitioner did not specify the address of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad and Intelligent Response Team  offices in Kano, where the alleged crime was committed.

He adjourned the case to April 8, for hearing.

Earlier, the police counsel, Hassan Malam, had urged the panel to adjourn the case pending appropriate service of the summon to the respondents.

He said that all efforts to reach the respondents with the petition against them had proved abortive.

“There are no sufficient particulars of the officers he petitioned and the case is not ripe for hearing, because they are not aware of the petition against them”, he said.

The petitioner, Musa Isa, a businessman from Kano state, through his counsel Umar Aliyu, said they served the defendants with written statements and had ample time to appear before the panel.

“Time is of essence to the hearing and determination of this case, I am praying the court to discontenance the application made by the police counsel to adjourn the case”.