9 MEN ARRAIGNED FOR KIDNAPPING IN YOLA

Nine men have been arraigned before Yola High in Adamawa State for alleged kidnapping in Yola South and Mayo Belwa Local Areas respectively.

The suspects, Abubakar Yusuf 28, Bala Sani 35, Rufai Ahmadu 34, Umar Jalo 30, Abdullahi Ibrahim 20, Ishiyaku Umar 33, Mohammed Adamu 37, Monday Zailani 34 and Mohammed Abdullahi 22 were arraigned before the court by the Directorate of State Service (DSS) Yesterday.

According to the six-count charge read to the accused at the High Court 1 presided by Justice Nathan Musa, the 9 persons were involved in five separate kidnap cases and a case of cattle theft.

Yusuf Abubakar, Rufai Ahmadu, Bala Sani, Muhammed Adamu and Abdullahi Ibrahim were charged with having kidnapped one Alhaji Waziri Ibrahim from his house at Shagari Quarters in Yola South Local Lovernment Area, on December 26, 2019 and collected N1, 650,000 as ransom.

Yusuf Abubakar, Rufai Ahmadu, Bala Sani and Umar Jalo were charged with kidnapping one Dr Kawiyo Abdurahman from his Lakare residence in Yola South last month, January 5, and collected a ransom of N1,450,000.
While 7 of the accused pleaded not guilty to all the charges against them, 2 pleaded guilty to most of the charges.

One of the suspects, Rufai Ahmadu in particular caused a stir in court and created enmity between himself and his co-accused when he pleaded guilty to the five charges of kidnapping or attempted kidnapping and asked the others to do the same.

He would tell them, “You people should stop lying. We were all a part of this” and however pleaded not guilty to the case of stealing of cows in Mayo Belwa. “I know nothing about that,” he said.

Presiding over suit number ADSY/4c/2020, Hon. Justice Nathan Musa, adjourned the case to February 25 for continuation of hearing, and asked that the accused be returned to detention.