COVID-19: Court orders release of El-Zakzaky’s wife

A High Court sitting in Kaduna has ordered the release of Zeenat, wife of Shiekh Ibrahim Elzakzaky, the leader of Islamic Movement in Nigeria, IMN for COVID-19 treatment.

It will be recalled that last Thursday, Mohammed, son of the IMN leader, said his mother, Zeenat, tested positive for COVID-19 at the Kaduna correctional centre, where he demanded for her release for treatment and authority refused.

Femi Falana, counsel to El-Zakzaky, however presented a medical report to back up his case for the release of Zeenat.

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) asked the court to allow Zeenat seek medical treatment outside the correctional centre according to measures put in place by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

In the ruling delivered on Monday, the court however asked that, Zeenat be moved to a government isolation facility to begin treatment immediately.

Gideon Kurada, the presiding judge, granted the request after Chris Umar, the prosecuting counsel, concurred with Falana’s submission.

The Controller of Kaduna Correctional Service, Ibrahim Labbo Maradun had Friday last week denied the report of Zakzaky’s testing positive. He said the result of her test was still being awaited as at Friday.

Meanwhile, the test result obtained by The Nation, stamped by the Kaduna State Ministry of Health COVID-19 Laboratory on 20th January, 2021, shows that the IMN leader’s wife is COVID-19 positive.