The High Court sitting in Kaduna State has granted the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, and his wife Zeenat, leave to seek medical attention in India.

In its Monday Ruling, the court ordered that the IMN leader and his wife be accompanied abroad by officials of the Kaduna State government. The presiding judge, Justice Darius Khobo ruled that El-Zakzaky and his wife should proceed to India for medical treatment.

He, however, did not give any time frame as to how long they will stay in India. No date has been fixed for the defendants to embark on the medical trip.

Counsel to the Kaduna State government, Dari Bayero, said the prosecution team would go back and study the judgement to see if there were grounds for appeal. Counsel to the El-Zakzakys, Mr Femi Falana, however, clarified the ruling of the cour saying , the judgement is just to grant the IMN leader and his wife leave to seek medical attention abroad and not an outright bail The trial of El-Zakzaky and his wife is expected to resume as soon as they return from their medical treatment.

Mr Falana, a human rights activist and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, filed the application on behalf of his clients on July 18, 2019

You will recall that El-Zakzaky and his wife are facing an eight-count of culpable homicide, unlawful assembly, disturbance of public peace, charges which were filed against them by the Kaduna State Government and the duo were first arraigned in May 2018.