The Court of Appeal in Abuja has granted Kabiru Umar, also known as Kabiru Sokoto, an extension of time to appeal against his 2013 conviction and sentence to life imprisonment by the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The order, issued by a three-member panel comprising Justices Muhammed Danjuma, Ntong Ntong and Eleojo Enenche, followed an appeal filed by Mr Umar on 13 May.
In the application, the appellant sought an extension of time to seek leave to appeal against the Federal High Court judgement delivered on 20 December 2013, an extension of time to file his notice of appeal, and an order deeming the notice of appeal already submitted to the court’s registry as properly filed and served.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr Umar filed an appeal 12 years after he was convicted over the 2011 bombing of St Theresa Catholic Church in Madallah, a Niger State metropolitan area near Abuja.
Mr Umar argued that circumstances beyond his control delayed his motion for appeal. The circumstances, according to an initial court document obtained by this newspaper, included the deaths of his two previous lawyers, “repeated custodial transfers,” and his family’s severe “financial constraints.”
