By GARBA MUHAMMAD, Kaduna

The trial of Sheik Ibrahim El-Zakzaky and his wife Zeenat has come to end as the Kaduna High Court found them not guilty of the alleged crime filed against them by the Kaduna State Government.

The judgement which started around 9am ended around 5:08pm after a shot break around 2pm.

The court found that the charges that were filed in 2018 pursuant to the Penal law enacted by the State Government in 2017 over an alleged offence committed in 2015.

Marshal Abubakar, counsel to El-Zakzaky who spoke to journalists after the judgement, said: “The rule ruled that the charge was not supposed to be filed in the first place, as the government cannot arraign someone for a said crime that was not an offence at the time.

“The court ruled that the charge was incompetent as the court agreed that El-Zakzaky and his wife had committed no offence.

“The court also ruled that the event of Dec. 12and 15, 2015 was not an offence and the court was emphatic that none of the event in Dec. 12, 2015 can be attributed to the defendant for an offence.

“The court thereby discharges and acquits the defendants as there should have been no charge in the first place.

“No party asked for cost of fine,” he said.

Dari Bayero, prosecuting counsel, said: “Yes, he has been dis charged and acquitted” and quickly left the premises without answering follow up questions from the journalists.

El-Zakzaky and the wife were hurriedly whisked away in a Hilux van by his members to an unknown destination shortly after the judgement, following tips that the security agents were standing by to re-arrest him.

Security agents at the court premises were seen grumbling and looking surprised as to how he managed to leave without their knowledge.

Sources say the judge Justice Gideon Kurada who passed the judgement, may be retiring next week.