Two Herbalist based in Toungo ward, Maiha Local Government Area, Adamawa state have appeared in court for allegedly killing a woman accused of witchcraft.
The accused persons, Salihu Kalu and Ibrahim Usman have been standing trial for killing one Fadimatu Jibrilla, who was accused of being a witch or having power of witchcraft.
Salihu and Ibrahim were earlier arraigned before Justice Helen N. Hammajoda on 5 count charges bordering criminal conspiracy punishable under section 61(1) of the state penal code law.
The duo were said to have agreed to do an illegal act where they subjected late Fadimatu Jibrilla, to a trial by ordeal to validate their accusation that the victim had the power of witchcraft by forcing her to ingest a substance in the premises of the Salihu Kalu (the 1st defendant), and the said act was done in pursuance to the said agreement.
In his extra judicial confessional statement, the 1st defendant narrated that one Umar and Auwalu met him with their daughter who was sick and asked him to treat her, saying that he administered some traditional medicine and the girl got relief.
He stated that he gave her some herbs after consuming it, she called the name of Fadimatu Jibrilla as being the one that bewitched her.
He said that sometimes later, he went to Area Court Pakka where he met the Area Court Judge and sought for a permission from him so as to give Fadimatu Jibrilla medicine to prove her innocence, adding that the Honourable Judge permitted him to go and give her the medicine.
According to him, he went back home and gave her medicine to prove to her that she was a witch, saying that when she took the medicine, she died on the spot.
NEWS PLATFORM learnt that the suspects invited the deceased into the 1st defendant's compound that the will remove witchcraft out of her body traditionally of which they gave her unknown concoction inside a cup and forced her to drink it.
It was gathered that after she took the concoction, the victim started vomiting and subsequently collapsed and died on the spot.
The matter which came up today for ruling on the bail application filed by the 2nd defendant through his counsel, F. A Ogbe of the Legal Aid Counsel of Nigeria, the court refused granting the bail application to the defendant.
Justice Helen said that the court relied on the affidavit deposed by Eric Edison on the 26th October, 2020, that all effort made by him to trace the accused person( Ibrahim Usman) proved abortive.
According to her, it was not easy to get the 1st accused person in court as he jumped bail to Cameroon Republic, explaining that based on the attitude of the 1st defendant, she is not sure if the 2nd accused person will not jump bail if granted as both of them are partners in traditional medicine.
She declared that the accused person having been charged with one of the offences of trial by ordeal and ingesting substance into their victim which led to her demise, it is expected that the applicant should show special and exceptional circumstances that would justify the grant of the application as causing the death of human being is one of the greatest offences against human race.
She however adjourned the matter to 29th March, 2021 for hearing and ordered that the defendants should continue to be remanded in prison custody.
Reacting on the ruling, counsel to the prosecution, A. A. Ishaq, who appeared in court for ruling on the bail application, appreciated the court, while, T. U. Danjuma, who represented F. A. Ogbe, thanked the court the ruling.
No comments:
Post a Comment