Murder of Village Head: Court Orders Arrest of 12 Suspects, 13 Others Granted Bail

Laleye Dipo in Minna

A Suleja High Court in Niger State has directed the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of the area police station to immediately effect the arrest of 12 persons suspected to have taken part in the murder of the village head of Lambatta, Alhaji Mohammed Abdulsafur.

Abdulsafur was said to have been killed last January by a mob, which included the 12 suspects.

Justice Aisha Wodu Bawa issued the directive when she ruled on a motion brought before the court by the prosecutor, Halilu Umar, who said the other suspects have been moving about freely since the incident occurred.

Umar, who is the Chief State Counsel in the Ministry of Justice, read the names of the suspects in court, and insisted that the Judge should urge the police to bring them into custody so that they can face prosecution, insisting that they (suspects) were the principal suspects in the killing of the village head of Lambata

Giving her ruling, Justice Bawa asked the Court Registrar to immediately write to the Police Area Commander in Suleja directing him to arrest the 13 suspects said to be on the run and present them in court on the next adjournment date.

She, however, granted bail to 13 other accused persons who were brought before the court in the sum of N1million each with each of them having a surety who must be a civil servant on Grade level 12 who must also deposit his letter of first appointment and promotion with the court.

The sureties, she said, must also be residents within the jurisdiction of the court and deposit their recent passport photographs with the court registrar.

She, therefore, adjourned the case to January 4, 2024, for the commencement of full trial.