The factional National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Tanimu Turaki (SAN), has urged a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to reject an attempt by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to reopen the case against him.
Turaki, who served as Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs from 2013 to 2015, is standing trial before Justice Peter Kekemeke on a one-count charge marked CR/647/2026.
He is accused of giving false information to the police in a petition he lodged in 2022.
The charge, filed on November 15, 2025, alleges: “That you, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN, m, No. 37 T.Y. Danjuma Street, Asokoro, Abuja, on or about October 5, 2022, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, gave false information to the Inspector-General of Police via a petition dated October 5, 2022.”
The police maintain that the alleged act constitutes an offence punishable under Section 140 of the Penal Code Law.
The prosecution closed its case on June 18 after calling a single witness. However, when the matter came up on Wednesday, prosecuting counsel Usman Aliyu informed the court that he had filed an application seeking leave to reopen the case, call additional witnesses and adduce further evidence.
Aliyu argued that the additional witnesses and evidence were necessary to ensure a fair prosecution. Citing several authorities, he urged the court to grant the application in the interest of justice.
Opposing the application, defence counsel Abdulaziz Ibrahim (SAN) urged the court to dismiss it with substantial costs. He argued that such an application is not granted as a matter of course, noting that the prosecution had told the court at the commencement of trial that it had only one witness.
Ibrahim further submitted that the prosecution had failed to place sufficient material before the court to justify the grant of the application. He described the move as a ploy to delay the case and to humiliate the defendant by subjecting him to a needless trial.
Justice Kekemeke adjourned the matter until November 2 for ruling.