adduce amounts to withholding evidence and would raise a presumption that if produced, the evidence
would be unfavourable to him.
29
TSOKWA MOTORS NIG. LTD VS AWONIYI (1999) NWLR (PT. 586) 1999; TEWOGBADE VS AKANDE (1968)
NMLR 404.
Undoubtedly, the prosecution has a duty to tender any statement made by an accused person during
the investigation of the crime with which the accused is charged whether or not it is in his favour. It is
not only a damming statement of an accused person that should be tendered with glee by the
prosecution. A favourable statement to the accused should not be left out in a bid to secure conviction
by the prosecution at all cost. This is to avoid the invocation of Section 167 (d) of the Evidence Act
against the prosecution. See PEOPLE OF LAGOS STATE VS UMARU (2014) 7 NWLR (PT. 1407) 584, and
OGUDO VS THE STATE(Supra). However, before the presumption under the Section can operate, it must
be shown and established that:
(a) Such evidence exists;
(b) That it could be produced;
(c) That it has not been produced and;
(d) That it has been withheld by the person who could produce it, as held in MUSA VS YERIMA (1997) 7
NWLR (PT. 511) 27 per Ogundare JSC.
All the listed conditions are present in the case at
30
hand, the statement exists and was in prosecution???s case file; it could be produced; but was not
produced; PW4 who could have produced it withheld it. Thus, the prosecution???s failure to produce
the said statement squarely amounts to withholding of evidence.
اختر الفقرة المستهدفة3
الاتصال بفقرة
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
أضف إلى جدول المحتويات