Kaduna State High Court has acquitted and discharged Leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN); Sheikh Ibraheem El- Zakzaky and his wife, Zeenat Ibrahim. The court also ordered their immediate release from detention.

Justice Gideon Kurada delivered a favourable judgement in the “no case submission” filed by the defense lawyers on the case brought against the Nigerian Shiites Leader; Sheikh Zakzaky, and his wife, Malama Zeenah Ibrahim, who were standing trial for eight counts bordering on alleged unlawful assembly, disruption of the public peace, culpable homicide punishable by death among others.

With this court victory today, the false charges filed against them have finally been punctured for good after almost five years of excruciating illegal detention.

In a judgement delivered on Wednesday, Justice Kurada said the case was not shown nor proven by the prosecutor.

The defendants had pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against them.

The couple have been in detention since 2015, after the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), supporters launched an attack on the convoy of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, an act declared by the Army as an assassination attempt.

The Army raided the IMN headquarters in Zaria and killed many Shi’ites members. Despite a court order for their release in December 2016, the IMN leaders have been in detention since then.

Recall that the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice; Abubakar Malami had said that the Cleric is being tried under the Kaduna State law and not under federal law.

The question on everyone’s lips now is, will the Kaduna State government comply with this court order?