A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) sitting in Maitama, Abuja, has officially scheduled Thursday, June 18, 2026, for the definitive commencement of the criminal trial against the embattled factional Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Kabiru Turaki.
Presiding Judge, Justice Peter Kekemeke, fixed the firm date after explicitly rejecting an administrative request presented by Turaki’s lead counsel, Abdulaziz Ibrahim (SAN), who had intensely pressured the court to halt proceedings and deliver an immediate ruling on a preliminary application challenging the overall legal competence of the criminal charges.
The one-count criminal charge, marked CR/647/2025 and brought forward by the Inspector General of Police (IGP), accuses the prominent opposition politician of intentionally supplying false information to the police hierarchy.
The prosecution alleges that Turaki authored a misleading petition using his official corporate letterhead dated October 5, 2022, against one Saidu Mohammed Mainasara, with the explicit criminal intent of weaponizing the lawful powers of the IGP to cause injury, annoyance, and defamation to Mainasara—an offense strictly punishable under Section 140 of the Penal Code Law.
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During the heated Thursday morning session, Ibrahim (SAN) argued that the charge disclosed no prima facie case and constituted a malicious abuse of court processes, urging the judge to quash the trial to save his client from unnecessary physical and emotional stress.
However, police prosecuting attorney Usman Rabiu filed a robust counter-affidavit, citing Section 396(2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), which legally mandates that any ruling on a defendant's objection to a criminal charge must be strictly deferred until the final judgment.
Justice Kekemeke ruled in favor of the prosecution, holding that the statutory provisions of the ACJA are mandatory and that the PDP chieftain would suffer no structural injustice by facing a full trial. The prosecution is expected to call its sole star witness when the trial opens next week.
#KabiruTuraki #FCTHigh Court #PDPCrisis #JusticePeterKekemeke #AbujaTrial #AdministrationOfCriminalJusticeAct #PolicePetition
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