…2 to die by hanging in Taraba
…Abductors deserve death penalty – Remi Tinubu
…State govs stalling execution warrant – Barr Ofoegbu
…We’ll rescue 280 Kaduna pupils, teachers, 200 Borno victims, President assures
Death penalty appears to be the antidote to rising abductions and insecurity in Nigeria as two kidnappers are to die by hanging in Taraba state. This is on the heels of abductions of 200 internally displaced women (IDPs) in Borno state, and over 280 pupils and teachers in a Kaduna primary school. AGI ONDA, ABDULLAHI M. GULLOMA, ANDREW OJIH, and ABDULRAHEEM AODU report, however, that some state governors as well as tedious court procedures may impede justice.
Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Remi Tinubu, has urged the full implementation of the country’s criminal justice system on any kidnapper convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction to stem the volatility of the criminal elements in the country.
Senator, who described kidnappers as cowards who deserve to die, was reacting to the news of 200 internally displaced women, who were kidnapped in Borno state, and over 280 pupils and teachers that were Thursday kidnapped in Kaduna state.
The First Lady’s outrage on Friday came as a human rights lawyer, Barrister Stanley Ofoegbu, bemoaned the tedious nature of the country’s criminal justice system as well as the frustrations from state governors who, he said, “are unwilling to sign death warrants whenever such criminals are convicted”.
He was reacting to the sentence handed over to Yusufa Adamu and Adamu Abdullahi by the Chief Judge of Taraba state, Justice Joel Agya, on Friday, for kidnapping Balkisu Kambe and Maryam Musa in Gashaka local government area of the state.
Justice Agya, who delivered the judgement at the Taraba High Court 1 in Jalingo said the prosecution counsel had proved beyond reasonable doubt that the duo committed the crime in 2019.
Ofegbu said, although capital punishment has been part of the justice system, the due punishment which would have assisted in addressing the raging tension in the country, is hampered by the fact that, “The court must prove beyond reasonable doubt that the suspect, indeed, committed the act.
“Besides, the suspect has the option of appeal, which may take up to fivre years in the Court of Appeal and 10 years in the Supreme Court. At the end, one may end up spending about 20 years in the appeal.
“This is coupled with the fact that some state governors are very unwilling to sign the warrant of execution. In which case, like you mentioned, the case of the two kidnappers in Taraba state may take years to conclude, because the governor may not be willing to sign the death warrant. That is the obvious challenge over the capital punishment option.”
Abductors must die – Remi
In her submission, Senator Remi Tinubu said, “Whoever is kidnapping young people is sick, cruel, and a coward.
“Enough is enough and I call on the state governors that once we take hold of them, they deserve capital punishment.
“Why don’t they take people their size? Why are they torturing our children? What they are trying to do is kill our future.
“We all know parents, when we are old, we rely on our children.”
Tinubu orders rescue of victims
In a related development, President Bola Tinubu has condemned the abduction of some internally displaced persons in Borno state and students in Kaduna state.
Tinubu directed security and intelligence agencies to immediately rescue the victims and ensure that justice is served against the perpetrators.
This was contained in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, and shared on his Facebook page on Friday.
In the statement, Tinubu was quoted as saying, “I have received briefing from security chiefs on the two incidents, and I am confident that the victims will be rescued.
“Nothing else is acceptable to me and the waiting family members of these abducted citizens. Justice will be decisively administered.”
Tinubu sympathised with the families of the victims, assuring them that they would soon be reunited with their loved ones.
Hangman’s noose awaits 2 kidnappers
Meanwhile, the Chief Judge of Taraba state, Justice Joel Agya, on Friday sentenced Yusufa Adamu and Adamu Abdullahi to death by hanging for kidnapping Balkisu Kambe and Maryam Musa in Gashaka local government area of the state.
Agya, who delivered the judgement at the Taraba High Court 1 in Jalingo said the prosecution counsel had proved beyond reasonable doubt that the duo committed the crime in 2019.
He also found them guilty on the charges of criminal conspiracy and illegal possession of fire arms, and sentenced each of them to 10 years without the option of fine for each of the offences making it a cumulative 20 years each.
The judge explained that the sentence on criminal conspiracy and illegal possession of fire arms would take effect from 2019 when they were arrested and detained.
According to him, the defendants had made confessional statements individually about the kidnapping of Balkisu Kambe at Angwan America in Baruwa on September 29, 2019 and Maryam Musa on September 2, 2019 at Serti and others in Gashaka local government area where they collected ransom.
He noted that one of the victims, Kambe, identified the defendants as members of the gang that abducted her in her house when they could not find her husband in his room on that day, saying they unmasked when they took her to the bush for two days before her husband sent them N1, 000,000 ransom.
“Based on Section Three, Paragraph Eight of the Kidnapping and Abduction Law of Taraba 2019, I hereby sentence you to death by hanging on the neck, may God have mercy on your souls.
“You, however, have the right to apply to the Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy for the sentence to be committed to life imprisonment, especially since no life was lost in the process of kidnapping,” he said.
The Prosecution Counsel, Mr Samson Gimba, hailed the judgement as sound and commendable.
Counsel to the Defendants, Mr. Mahanar Puki, had pleaded for mercy when the guilty verdict was pronounced before the judge passed the sentence.
Puki had told the court that the convicts were first time offenders and had shown remorse throughout the period of trial and should be shown some mercy.
How 280 pupils were kidnapped
Blueprint Weekend reports that bandits invaded the Kuriga area of Chikun local government area of Kaduna state on Thursday, shooting at their victims before taking away at least 280 of the pupils and teachers from both schools.
The secondary school was relocated to the primary school on account of the insecurity in the council.
The incident occurred barely 24 hours after insurgents abducted 200 internally displaced women in Borno state.
The women were kidnapped in Ngala, the headquarters of Gambarou Ngala in Borno state while fetching firewood in the bush.
Penultimate Thursday, bandits invaded the Gonin-Gora in the same Chikun LGA, prompting residents to barricade the Kaduna-Abuja Expressway in protest against the abduction of an unspecified number of people in the area.
The kidnappers on Wednesday night through the early hours of Thursday had attacked the Kuriga community, kidnapping unspecified numbers of the residents.
A teacher in Government Secondary School Kuriga, Sani Abdullahi, narrated how the attack took place, adding that about 280 pupils and teachers were whisked away by the hoodlums.
This was just as the state governor, Senator Uba Sani, led senior government officials and heads of security agencies in the state to the scene of the attack on Thursday evening.
The governor assured the community that those abducted by the bloodthirsty bandits would return unhurt.
He said he had spoken to the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu on the matter and that security operatives had swung into action in search of the abducted pupils.
