From Ahmad SAKA, Bauchi
Bauchi State High Court number five has semtenced three persons to 17 years in correctional service each for robbing their victim the sum of N60, 000 after four years.
The suit lingered in court for over four years and the court found the convicted persons that include Muazu Ya’u, Adamu Abdullahi and Awwalu Babayo, guilty of the offence guilty and sentenced the three of them for the robbery offence committed sometimes in 2018.
The trio were charged before the Court in September 2018 for armed robbery as contained in the charge sheet which was an act committed contrary to section 96 and punishable under 97 of the Penal Code of Bauchi State; Vol 1 of 2006.
The prosecuting Counsel, Mohammed M. Adamu Esq told the Court that the convicts, together with one Ruwa Abdullahi, now at large, “attacked one Abdullahi Ahmadu with machetes and sticks, until he became unconscious, and robbed him of the sum of N60,000 and thereby committed an act punishable under section 1 (1) a and b of the Robbery and Fire Arms (special provisions Act Cap R11, LFN 2004, as applicable to Bauchi State,”.
In his judgement Justice Muazu Abubakar sentenced them to two years imprisonment for the first charge count each while they are to serve 15 years imprisonment each for the second count charge –all without option of fine, the sentence are to run concurrently.
While reacting to the judgement, defence Counsel, Yakubu Maikasuwa, expressed his dissatisfaction with the judgement against his clients hinting that an appeal would be filed and hoped that the young men may be favoured.
The Defense Counsel, “We are not happy that criminal acts are on the increase, but there should be fair hearing of such cases” .
Maikasuwa said that three things make the judgement go the way of his clients which are:”witness who could testify, proven evidence and confessional statement written at the Police Station. In this case, the court relied solely on the confessional statements (made by the accused persons at the Police station)” .
