By Baron Ike
After many years of living with the burden of allegedly sponsoring terrorism, embattled Senator Ali Ndume was on Tuesday, July 4 let off the hook by the court.
The Federal High Court In Abuja dismissed the four charges of terrorism against Ndume, the immediate past Senate leader who is on suspension from the senate.
Ndume, who represents Borno South in the Senate, was set free of the charges by Justice Gabriel Kolawole on the grounds that no prima facie case was established against the lawmaker.
In a no case submission argued by Ricky Tarfa on behalf of the Senator, Justice Kolawole held that the prosecution failed on all fronts to link the defendant with the alleged crime of hoarding information on terrorism activities and sponsoring the Boko Haram sect.
The judge also faulted the prosecution for failing to call eminent personalities to give evidence in respect of the charges against the defendant.
Kolawole said while the defendant admitted to having contact with Boko Haram members as a member of the presidential committee on security challenges in the North-East and volunteering information to the director of the Department of State Security (DSS) in the National Assembly and former Vice President Namadi Sambo, the prosecution did not invite them to give evidence in the trial.
Kolawole said the failure of the prosecution to invite those people to give evidence was fatal to the case as it hindered the prosecution from discharging the burden of proof as required by law.