Senior Magistrate Court No. 5 sitting along Shiroro Road in Minna, Niger State, and presided over by Hajiya Hadiza Hamza Imam, has ordered the remand of four dismissed soldiers alleged to have killed an operative of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Bidda, to Correctional Custody.
The Magistrate gave the order when the suspects were arraigned by the operatives of the Homicide Squad of the Niger State Police Command.
The defendants according to the Police First Information Report, included Sani Munzali, Mu’azu Hassan, Abubakar Awalu and Sani Abubakar.
They were arraigned on two-count charge bothering on criminal conspiracy and culpable homicide.
According to the First Information Report (FIR), marked MN/SMC/5/CR/ 31/2024, the two count-charge are punishable under sections 97 and 221 (a) and (b) of the Penal Code.
The Police Prosecutor, Inspector Emmanuel Ogiri, had told the court that the four defendants, were reported to the Police A Divisional Command in Bida by one Danjuma Bisalla that he was on duty with his team on stop-and-search along Ramatu Dangana road in Bida.
He further told the court that all the defendants conspired among themselves along with “you Mohammed Abdullahi, a military personnel and drove a motorcycle toward them.
“They stopped him to search his bike and person for drugs and narcotics.
“You Mohammed Abdullahi initially refused to submit yourself for search to the NDLEA officers on stop-and-search duty and later after much argument, you left their post and 30 minutes later, you mobilized and returned with six men.
“Three dressed in Military uniforms and three in mufti, namely Sani Munzali, Abubakar Auwalu, Muhazi Hassan and Abubakar Sani.
“Without any provocation, you conspired among yourselves and while armed with dangerous weapons, such as jack-knife, cutlass and sticks, attacked one Kingsley Ifeanyi Chiwetalu, an NDLEA personel in Bida, who sustained injuries on his back.
The FIR added that,” and Ifeanyi was rushed to the Federal Medical Centre Bida, where he was confirmed dead on arrival.
“The Nigeria army Bida on receipt of the information arrested you and Court Marshaled, dismissed you all from the Nigerian Army, and handed you over to the Nigeria Police for prosecution.
“During police Investigation, you Sani Munzali confessed that you collected a jack-knife from the said Tanimu Mohammed, now at large, and stabbed the deceased on his back.”
When the charges were read to them by the presiding Magistrate Hajiya Hadiza Hamza Imam, they all pleaded not guilty to all the two count charges.
The Police Prosecutor, Inspector Emmanuel Ogiri, told the court that investigation into the matter has just commenced and he requested the court to remand them in Correctional Custody pending the completion of the investigation, after which their casefile will be forwarded to the Ministry of Justice for legal advice.
Their counsel, Barr. Nasir Abubakar, made an oral application for their bail on the ground that the defendants were presumed innocent until the determination of the case.
While refusing the oral application made by the defence counsel, the Presiding Magistrate, ordered their remand and adjougned the case to 20th June for further mention.(Additional reports from Eagle Eye)
