ZARIA KILLINGS: 26 minors, other accused must be produced in court — JUDGE

KADUNA— Justice Hanatu Balogun of Kaduna High Court, yesterday insisted that eight women and 26 monors must be produced in court on July 20, to enable her take a decision on their matter.  

The accused were charged before the Court on March 22, in absentia by Kaduna State Government on five-count charge. Among others, their charges read: “On December 12, 2015, at Zaria, while armed with dangerous weapons to wit: pistols, guns, dane guns, cutlasses, knives, catapults, axes, clubs and sticks caused the death of one Cpl Yakubu Dankaduna of the Nigeria Army by shooting him with guns when the said soldier alighted from the entourage of the Chief of Army Staff in order to disperse and clear the road which you unlawfully blocked, knowing that death is likely the consequence of your actions and you thereby committed the offence of culpable homicide under the section 221 of the Penal Code.” The other four charges deal with blocking of major roads in zaria and disturbances of the peace of the ancient city. When the matter came up for hearing yesterday, the Prosecuting counsel, Dari Bayero complained to the Judge, that the sureties to the 34 accused had refused to produce them in court and pleaded with the court to decide on whether to withdraw the bail or not. The judge asked the sureties, Musa Usman, Muhktar M. Sherrif and Khalid Isah why the accused were not in court. Musa Usman, who spoke in Hausa, stunned the court when denied standing surety for anybody, saying “I did not get bail for anyone. I was on my own on December 18, 2015 when I got a call from Kaduna State Commissioner of Police to appear in his office. I obliged. The Commissioner said to me, ‘look, I have been instructed by the governor to get your detatined women and children out of our cells and send them home with immediate effect, before the Army find them and kill them.”

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 The accused were charged before the Court on March 22, in absentia by Kaduna State Government on five-count charge. Among others, their charges read: “On December 12, 2015, at Zaria, while armed with dangerous weapons to wit: pistols, guns, dane guns, cutlasses, knives, catapults, axes, clubs and sticks caused the death of one Cpl Yakubu Dankaduna of the Nigeria Army by shooting him with guns when the said soldier alighted from the entourage of the Chief of Army Staff in order to disperse and clear the road which you unlawfully blocked, knowing that death is likely the consequence of your actions and you thereby committed the offence of culpable homicide under the section 221 of the Penal Code.” The other four charges deal with blocking of major roads in zaria and disturbances of the peace of the ancient city. When the matter came up for hearing yesterday, the Prosecuting counsel, Dari Bayero complained to the Judge, that the sureties to the 34 accused had refused to produce them in court and pleaded with the court to decide on whether to withdraw the bail or not. The judge asked the sureties, Musa Usman, Muhktar M. Sherrif and Khalid Isah why the accused were not in court. Musa Usman, who spoke in Hausa, stunned the court when denied standing surety for anybody, saying “I did not get bail for anyone. I was on my own on December 18, 2015 when I got a call from Kaduna State Commissioner of Police to appear in his office. I obliged. The Commissioner said to me, ‘look, I have been instructed by the governor to get your detatined women and children out of our cells and send them home with immediate effect, before the Army find them and kill them.”