Justice Darius Kobo of Kaduna State High Court II on Monday reserved ruling for next week Monday, August 5, 2019, on a bail application by the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky.

Lead state prosecuting counsel Dari Bayero in an interview said that the application for bail to seek medical attention in Egypt was opposed because there are enough medical facilities in the country to treat the ailment El-Zakzaky is said to be suffering from.

“We supported our facts with medical reports from Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital, Kaduna, National Eye Centre, Kaduna, and General Hospitals in Lagos and Abuja.

“The applicants attached eight medical reports within and abroad to the application. That is why the judge reserved 5/8/19 to rule on the application,” he said.

Femi Falana (SAN), lead counsel to El-Zakzaky, in his response said that all eight medical reports attached to the application confirmed that doctors are all united and emphasising that his client needs to seek urgent medical attention in Egypt.

He said that contrary to claims in opposing the application by the prosecution, there was “no doctor and no document indicating my client was examined by any doctor from the prosecution response to the application.

“Doctors have confirmed that he has lost an eye and the second one may be lost on account of advanced glaucoma. Secondly, pellets in his body have not been removed, and we are talking of almost four years.

“He is also going through physical agony, the same thing with the wife and that the pellets which have been identified in the wife have not been removed as well.

“This unfortunate development has led to the deposit of lead poison in their systems, for which doctors are saying we need to get medical attention abroad. That is the essence of the application,” Falana narrated.

He also said that he has restricted access to his client (El-Zakzaky). His words: “No access as such because I am not use to that kind of access. We normally apply to SSS to have access, but we always have restricted access to him (El-Zakzaky).”

The senior silk said he was waiting for briefing from IMN to challenge the recent declaration of the group as a terrorist organisation because there was no fair hearing in court before the declaration.

Update news