- They were arraigned in connection to the alleged abduction of one Mohammed Abba in Chediya Village, Wukari Local Government Area, on March 29, 2020.
In Taraba State, two men, Usman Tafi Yau and William Duaknaan, have been sentenced to ten years in prison over illegal possession of firearms.
They were convicted and sentenced by Chief Judge of Taraba State, Justice Joel Agya, without the option of a fine.
The two were initially charged with criminal conspiracy, kidnapping, and illegal firearm possession.
They were arraigned in connection to the alleged abduction of one Mohammed Abba in Chediya Village, Wukari Local Government Area, on March 29, 2020.
However, during the trial, Justice Agya said the prosecuting counsel, Madina Kabir, did not prove his case beyond reasonable doubt by presenting irrefutable evidence to substantiate the charges of criminal conspiracy and kidnapping.
Consequently, the defendants were acquitted of these charges.
However, the judge found the defendants guilty of illegal firearm possession, citing their confessional statements corroborated by exhibits and witness testimonies.
Counsel for the first and second defendants, Mr. Ibrahim Bawa and Mr. Peter Ibeh, respectively, appealed for leniency.
Justice Agya ignore their plea and stating that had the prosecution been more meticulous, the defendants might have faced the death penalty under the state’s anti-kidnapping laws.
He explained that the convicts, in their confessional statements, admitted to kidnapping a Fulani man at Giwan Kogi in Gassol on March 28, 2020.
However, the case they were being tried for was the kidnapping of Mohammed Abba, who was abducted at Chediya Village in Wukari on March 29, 2020.
The defendants were arrested at Chediya Village, where they had gone to buy food for themselves and their kidnap victim when they were apprehended by the vigilante group.
“Following the provision of Section 3, sub-section 1 of the robbery and firearms (special provision) Acts 2004, I hereby sentence the convicts to 10 years imprisonment without an option of fine, and the sentence will run from 2020,” he said
Discussion about this post