Court Orders Arrest Of Suspected Killers Of Niger Village Head

A Suleja High Court III has ordered the area commander of Suleja Police Command, Sani Musa, to arrest the 12 suspected killers of the village head of Lambata, Alhaji Muhammad Abdulsafur.

Justice Aisha Wodu Bawa in a ruling on an application filed by the prosecuting counsel, told the registrar to immediately write to the area commander of Suleja directing him to arrest the fleeing suspects and arraign them in the next adjourned date.

The suspects were said to have participated in the killing of the traditional ruler in January this year and had been on the run and the police could not effect their arrest.

The prosecuting counsel, Halilu Umar, a chief state counsel in the ministry of Justice, told the court that five other suspects who participated in the killing of the monarch were still going about freely in Lambata without police arresting them for prosecution under section 221 of the penal code.

” My Lord, 12  of the suspects alleged to have fully participated in the killing of the village head were not arrested by the police.

“These people are going about freely in Lammbata town without the police doing anything to bring them to face the full wrath of justice.

“My Lord, I want to pray to the court to order the area commander of Suleja Police Command to arrest them and bring them to court at the next adjourned date,” he told the court.

The judge in her ruling on the bail application moved by the defense counsel to the defendant, Barrister Baba Shehu Ahmad ordered the area commander to ensure the arrest of the other suspects and be brought to court at the next adjourned date for the commencement of the trial.

She, however, granted bail to 13 others on trial before the court in the sum of one million naira and they are to bring a surety who must be a civil servant of level 12 and above while the surety must deposit his first appointment letter and letter of last promotion to be deposited with the court registrar.