The Chief Magistrate Court III sitting in Yola, Adamawa State, on Friday ordered the remand of a frontline philanthropist, Dr Emmanuel Musa and three others in prison for allegedly killing of a PDP chieftain, Thomas Godwin Zamfara.
The court presided over by Chief Magistrate Danladi Mohammed, ordered that the defendants be remanded in prison and adjourned the case to Monday, July 7.
According to the court, the adjournment is to await legal advice from the DPP, Ministry of Justice, Adamawa State.
The defendants arraigned in court include Godwin Chukukuyada, Danlami Nuhu, Ibrahim Bakari (a.k.a Mai Cross) and Stephen Peter (still at large) and Dr Emmanuel Musa.
They were arraigned for the offence of criminal conspiracy and culpable homicide contrary to sections 60 and 191 of Adamawa State Penal Code 2018 as amended.
According to the first information report tendered in court, the defendants had attacked the late Thomas Godwin Zamfara who was on his way from Fadama Rake to his hometown, Kala’a, on April 15.
The prosecution narrated that the deceased was left unconscious on the road side, and that he was rushed to the hospital where he was confirmed dead by a medical doctor.
The prosecution further informed the court that it was Dr Emmanuel Musa who instigated and sponsored the defendants to carry out the act.
Arraigning the defendants, the prosecution counsel, Ezekiel Gidauna Esq, applied for the substitution of the FIR dated May 19, 2025 with the one dated July 4, 2025.
Responding to the application, counsel to the defendants, G. C. Adikwu, who appeared alongside M.I. El-Yakub, objected to the application to substitute what, according to him, they do not have.
The court overruled the objection of counsels to the defendants and ordered that the FIR be substituted, read and interpreted to the defendants in a language they will understand.
When the FIR was read and interpreted to the defendants in Hausa language, the defendants said they understood the allegations except Dr Emmanuel Musa who replied that he did understand until it was read to him again for the second time.
However, the Chief Magistrate did not ask the defendants whether they were guilty or not as alleged by the prosecution.
Addressing the court on its failure to ask the defendants whether they are guilty or not, G. C. Adikwu argued that the provision of the law is that whenever the defendants are asked whether they understand allegations against them, they must also be asked whether they are guilty or not.
Earlier, G. C. Adikwu prayed the court to allow Dr Musa to be arraigned while seated because of dizziness, saying that his client was brought from Abuja to Yola on drip and that he should be allowed to sit which the court granted.
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