Samaila Umaru V. The State (2009)

LAWGLOBAL HUB Lead Judgment Report

DAHIRU MUSDAPHER, J.S.C

The appellant herein, Samaila Umaru was the 3rd accused person in a trial before the High Court of Niger State, in the Kontagora Judicial Division holden at Kontagora in charge NSHC/KG/IC/2002. The accused persons were arraigned before the court on a three count charge of Criminal Conspiracy, Robbery and Culpable Homicide respectively contrary to Sections 97, 298 and 221 of the Penal Code law of Niger State. At the conclusion of the trial, the learned trial judge found the accused persons guilty and sentenced the appellant to various terms of imprisonments.

The appellant felt unhappy with the decision of the trial court and appealed to the Court of Appeal Abuja. On the 9/1/2008, the Court of Appeal allowed the appeal of the appellant but ordered a retrial of the appellant before another judge. The grounds upon which the appeal was allowed can best be understood by reproducing the part of the judgment of Aboki JCA who read the lead judgment. In the judgment, the learned Justice said at page 126 of the printed record:-

“In the present case, when the appellant testified in his defence and was cross-examined by the prosecution, his counsel was not in court and no words were sent to explain his absence. The learned trial judge did not ask the appellant about the where about of his counsel or the reasons for the failure of the appellant’s counsel to be in court on that day. When the learned trial judge asked the appellant whether he can enter his defence in the absence of his counsel and he said yes, the accused/appellant should have been reminded of his constitutional right to counsel has not been extinguished and whether he still want to take advantage of the said right, considering the fact that the appellant was standing trial for capital offence and he was to enter into a defence of his life. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.”

The learned justice proceeded to hold that the trial was marred by breach of fair hearing in that in absence of the counsel to the accused, the trial ought to have been adjourned.

It is for the above, that the Court of Appeal ordered a retrial before another judge. It must be mentioned that the Court of Appeal only considered this issue of fair hearing and did not discuss the other issues raised by the parties. The appellant felt unhappy with the decision and has now appealed to this Court on four grounds of appeal. The grounds of appeal bereft of the particulars read:-

“1. The Honourable Court of Appeal erred in law when after finding as a fact that the appellant was denied of fair hearing went ahead to order a retrial.

2. The Honourable Court of Appeal erred in law when it ordered a retrial of the appellant on the ground that the evidence (sic) showed that the appellant played a vital role in the crimes for which he was charged.
3. The Honourable Justices of the Court of Appeal erred in law when they held that the confessional statements of the other two accused persons points to the fact that the appellant knows the cause of the deceased’s death and ordered a retrial.
4. The Court of Appeal erred in law when it failed to determine all the issues raised in the appellant’s brief of argument.”

In the appellant’s brief three Issues have been identified and submitted to this court for the determination of the appeal; the issues read as follows:-

“1. Considering the finding of the Honourable Court below that the appellant was denied a fair hearing and the fact that the appellant has spent substantial part of his sentence, whether the Court of Appeal was right to have ordered a retrial.

2. Whether the damning statements of the Hon. Court of Appeal as to the guilt of the appellant, will not prejudice him during the retrial.
3. Whether the Court of Appeal was right to have refused to and or failed to address all the issues raised in the appeal.”

The learned counsel for the respondent adopted the above issues in the respondent’s brief.

In this judgment, I have reproduced the crucial decision of the Court of Appeal in this matter. It was as the result of the continuation of the trial of the appellant in this capital case in the absence of his counsel. Bello JSC [as he then was] in the case of EYOROKOROMO Vs. THE STATE (1979) 6-9 SC 3 at 9 recognized the circumstances under which a criminal trial may be a nullity. He observed:-

“It is pertinent, however, to point out that a trial may be a nullity on one of the following grounds, Firstly, that the very foundation of the trial, that is the charge or information, may be null and void; secondly, the trial court may have no jurisdiction to try the offence; and thirdly, the trial may be rendered a nullity because of a serious error or blunder committed by the judge in course of the trial.”

The effect of the non-compliance with the constitutional provisions on the right of an accused person to counsel in a Criminal trial is to render the trial a nullity. See also ERONINI Vs. QUEEN 14 WACA 360; ADISA Vs. A.G. WESTERN NIGERIA 1966 NMLR P. 144.

See also ADEOYE Vs. STATE (1999) 6 NWLR (Pt. 605) 74 at 87. This court held in the case of BAWA JIBRIL Vs. THE STATE [1968] NMLR 7, that the calling of evidence under certain circumstances in the absence of the accused’s counsel was irregular and may render the trial a nullity. See also KIM Vs. THE STATE [1992] 4 NWLR (Pt. 233) 17; UDO Vs. THE STATE (1988) 1 NSCC 1163; Section 186 of the Criminal Procedure Code of the former Northern Region of Nigeria applicable to Niger State and the case of YANOR AND ANOTHER Vs. THE STATE [1965] 1 ALL NLR 193 at 196. There is no doubt that the appellant under the undisputed facts of this case, when the trial judge proceeded to hear the evidence of the appellant in the absence or his counsel, suffered a miscarriage of justice and his right to fair hearing entrenched in the Constitution was breached. See UDO Vs. THE STATE supra. The trial of the appellant was indeed a nullity.