A Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin has discharged eight men accused of kidnapping, murder, armed robbery and illegal possession of firearms after the state government withdrew the criminal case against them.
The defendants were discharged on Wednesday by Justice Yusuf Adebayo Dikko nearly three years after their arrest.
The prosecution, represented by Senior State Counsel Cyril N. Kolo, applied to withdraw the charges on the instructions of the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Ibrahim Sulyman.
Kolo told the court that the withdrawal was in the public interest.
The eight defendants are Suleiman Mohammed, Ibrahim Ahmed, Yekeen Raji, Aliu Saheed Babatunde, Abraham Alaka, Jooji Fajenyo, Salihu Umar and John Gazale.
The case stemmed from allegations linking the men to a deadly kidnapping incident in Agbamu, Oyun Local Government Area of Kwara State, in August 2023.
Justice Dikko granted the application for withdrawal and discharged the defendants without acquitting them.
This means the court did not pronounce them innocent of the allegations but formally ended the prosecution after the state discontinued the case.
AbdulBasit Saba is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, business, and public affairs.
