Court orders arrest of 5 suspects over killing of village head in Niger state

Justice Aisha Wodu Bawa of High Court 3, Suleja, Niger State, has ordered the Area Commander of Suleja, ACP Sani Musa, to effect the arrest of five persons suspected to be involved in the killing of the Village Head of Lambata in Gurara Local Government Area of the state, Alhaji Muhammad Abdulsafur.

It would be recalled that on January 4, 2023, some irate youths of Lambata in large numbers stormed the residence of the deceased and killed him.

Fourteen suspects were subsequently arrested in connection with the incident while 12 of them are already standing trial for murder.

The prosecuting Counsel, Halilu Umar, with the state's Ministry of Justice, told the court that the suspects who directly participated in the killing of the monarch were left to move freely in Lambata, alleging that the police had refused to arrest them for prosecution under Section 221 of the Penal Code.

He mentioned the fleeing suspects as Dauda Umar Sarki, Hamza Umar Sarki, Yusuf Chaska, Zubairu Dambaka and Abdulkareem Dantani.

She, however, granted bail to the 12 other suspects already standing trial before the court in the sum of N1m each, with a surety each and adjourned the case to January 4, 2024