The High Court had on December 20, 2013, convicted and sentenced Sokoto to life imprisonment after he was found guilty of masterminding the Christmas day bomb blast that killed about 44 persons and wounded 75 others at St. Theresa’s Catholic Church at Madalla, Niger State, in 2011.
Meantime, Sokoto who earlier instituted N300 million suit against the government over alleged torture, yesterday, re-approached the high court, accusing the federal government of frustrating his efforts to get his conviction upturned at the Court of Appeal.
In a fresh motion on notice he filed through his lawyer, Mr. Sheriff Okoh, Sokoto further alleged that the Comptroller of Prisons and his men have made it impossible for him to have access to his lawyer, to enable him perfect his appeal process.
The motion which has the Comptroller General of Prisons, CGP, and Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, as respondents, is seeking an order from the court, compelling the respondents to allow Sokoto who is currently detained at the Kirikiri Maximum Security Prison, Lagos, to have access to his legal team.
The applicant is equally seeking a declaration that the federal government, by denying him access to his lawyers, have thus violated his right to fair hearing, right to counsel and access to justice.
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