Alleged Cyber Crimes: Galadimawan Ruwan Zazzau defeats Kaduna Govt in Court

Idibia Gabriel, Kaduna

The Magistrate Court, Ibrahim Taiwo road, in Kaduna State has ruled that it has no jurisdiction to hear the case of cyber crimes instituted against a businessman and former Governorship aspirant, Alhaji Jafaru Sa’ad, Galadimawan Ruwan Zazzau.

The Chief Magistrate Hassan gave the ruling on Wednesday evening after the Prosecuting and defense Counsels finished addressing the court on a case of cybercrime leveled against the defendant by the state government.

Alhaji Jafaru, a former Governorship aspirant in Kaduna State, was arranged before the Chief Magistrate Court 1 on charges bordering on alleged abatement and conspiracy to commit Cybercrime by Governor Nasir El-rufai led Government.

In an interview with the lead Counsel to the defendant, Barr. Jafaru Abbas Ibrahim and his partner Barr. Baba Lawal Aliyu, the duo said the alleged Cybercrime offence was a personal discussion.

“According to First Information Reports (FIR), the state commissioner of financial Mohammed Bashir Saidu called one Galadima in Zaria.

After he finishes the discussion, Bashir Saidu erroneously forgot and maybe called Galadimawan Ruwan which is Jafaru Saad the suspect. And when Saad picked the call, Bashir Saidu apologize and said it was an error but maybe forgot to off his call from his end on his gsm.

“And Jafaru Saad, haven had the kinds of conservation going on, decided to record it, and that was all”, they said.

Barr. Ibrahim, the lead counsel to the suspect, in an interview also said “In this case, the suspect Galadimawan Ruwan was arranged before the Chief Magistrate court for the offence of cybercrime Act 2015.

“We objected to the arrangement on the ground that magistrate has no jurisdiction to hear and even take cognizance of the offence.

“And the Chief magistrate invites us to address him, and after addressing him, he agreed with our view that session 50 of the cybercrime Act 2015, expressed that its only federal high court that is vested with exclusive jurisdiction to try anything under cybercrime and that’s exactly what happened this afternoon. And magistrate, therefore, declined he has no jurisdiction”, Barr. Ibrahim said.

On the part of the Kaduna state government, even though the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) Bayero Dari, declined comment on the ground that he was instructed not to say anything in the court, his opponent however said the only option left for them is to go federal high court.

Barr. Ibrahim maintained that “their next line of action naturally is either to prepare charges and take him to the federal high court or terminate the case because the only federal high court can hear the matter, and that’s the court they don’t want to go from their body language because no court can hear it except them.

The suspect, Jafaru Saad was arranged on charges of abatement and conspiracy to commit cybercrime before Chief Magistrate Hassan in court 1 Ibrahim Taiwo road Kaduna on Tuesday.

Findings revealed that the suspect, Jafaru Saad Galadimawan Ruwan who differed with the government on the appointment of Zazzau Emirate tussle was detained for over a week by the state for recording and releasing the said audio to the public including security.

The audio conversation had to do with the alleged discussion on the armed thugs that attacked the protest rally of the organized labour held in Kaduna recently which went viral.