By Ibrahim Abdul’Aziz
Four men have been arraigned before Upper Area Court I in Yola, Adamawa state for allegedly accusing 80 year old Village Head of Mijilu in Mubi North Local Government Area of kidnapping.
The accused persons including Augustine Jagube, 59, Umaru Yadziga, 39, Ibrahim Amos, 51 and Adamu Tidze, 62 have been charged to court for criminal conspiracy, false allegation and defaming the character of Ardo Adamu Kainga, the Village Head of Mijilu.
Augustine Jagube and 3 others standing trial before the court according to prosecution, had conspired and tarnished the image of the royal father, accusing him to be a kidnapper while it is not true, contrary to section 61(379) and (378) of the Laws of Adamawa state 2018.
It all began when the suspects through a counsel petitioned Mubi Area Command of the Nigeria police, alleging that the Village Head had conspired with others and kidnapped one Nyalas Halbi and held him ransom for 10 days.
In their petition, Augustine Jagube and 3 others alleged that Nyalas Halbi being one of the several persons whose farmlands were forcefully confiscated by the Village Head, was kidnapped in order to silence him, intimidate and send warning signals to all the other poor and ignorant villagers.
But when the counsel to the petitioners was invited by the Area Command in connection with the petition, he vehemently denied ownership of the document and said it was Augustine Jagube and others that contracted him to write, and that he wrote it for them on contract basis.
And because of the gravity or nature of the allegation as contained in the petition, the Area Command transferred the matter from Mubi to Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Police Command Yola for further investigation.
In the course of investigation, the department visited Prison and found out that the said Nyalas Halbi was arrested, convicted and serving a jail term for different offence, hence dismissing the allegation that he was kidnapped and held ransom somewhere by the 80 year old man.
In the light of the foregoing, the final result of the investigation by the police revealed that the Village Head of Mijilu did not commit the said crime as alleged by Augustine Jagube and 3 others.
With a view towards ensuring that justice is done, the police resolved and instituted legal action against the accused persons with the Village Head and the then kidnapped suspect as nominal complainant in the fresh suit before the Area court.
The action by the police against the then complainants and now accused persons, according to the prosecution is to seek justice for the royal father taking into cognisance the seriousness of the issue which affects the society today.
But after cross examination of the prosecution witnesses by the counsel to the defendants, M. N. Chikason at the resumed sitting of court Tuesday, the court presided by Magistrate Mohammed Abubakar adjourned the matter to 30th March, 2020 for ruling.
Magistrate Abubakar however extended the bail of the defendants to the day of the ruling.
Earlier, the prosecutor, Inspector Zakka Musa whose 3 witnesses testified before the court, closed his case, hence the decision of the court to deliver its ruling on whether or not the suspects have any case to answer.
