AN Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti, on Wednesday, struck out the name of the chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State, Chief Jide Awe, from the murder charge preferred against him and three other persons.
Awe, the first defendant in the suit, was accused by the state of complicity in the murder of Mr Murphy Jeje and attempted murder of Mrs Juliana Adewumi in Erijiyan Ekiti, Ekiti West Local Government Area of the state, on March 31, 2013.
Justice Bamidele Omotoso struck out the case, following an application by the prosecution counsel for an order striking out the names of first to fourth defendants, for its inability to bring them to the court for trial.
Following the application, the names of Awe, John Faboro Ojo (second); Aniramu Basiru (third); Falayi Busuyi (fourth) defendants were struck out from the matter.
Prosecution counsel, Yakubu Dauda, applied that the names of Awe and three other defendants be struck out, consequent upon failure to physically bring them to trial.
Dauda, however, urged the court to continue with the trial of the two other accused persons, namely Sola Adenijo and Sefiu Owonifari.