A mechanic, Abuh Yakubu on Thursday was remanded in prison
by a Lokoja Chief Magistrate’s Court for allegedly abducting and killing
24-year-old Yakubu, son of a retired army colonel, Suleiman Babanawa.
The Chief Magistrate, Levi Animoku, who issued the remand
order during the arraignment of the accused in Lokoja, said he refused the bail
application of the defence counsel because the alleged crime was capital in
nature.
“It is the highest crime known to the law. Bail is not
granted as a matter of course,’’ he said.
He added that Section 341(1) of the Criminal Procedure Code
precluded the court from granting bail to the accused.
Animoku consequently ordered that the accused be remanded in
the Federal Prison, Ankpa, and transferred the case to the Chief Magistrate’s
Court, Ankpa, as he adjourned the case till September 26, for mention.
The prosecutor, Sergeant Friday Shaibu, told the court that
the father of the deceased, Suleiman, reported the matter on November 28,
2017, at the Okpo Police Division.
According to Shaibu, Yakubu was at a party in Agala-Ikeje on
November 26, 2016, at about 10pm when some persons invaded the venue, abducted
him and drove away to an unknown destination.
The assailants, two of whom were later identified as Felix
Ameh and Sunday Otene, were said to have been armed with guns when they
perpetrated the act.
The prosecution said while a search was on to find the
Yakubu, there was information that a corpse was found in Otukpa, Benue State. When
the family got there, it was discovered to be the corpse of Yakubu with bullet
wounds all over him.
Counsel for the accused, Mr. E.A. Majebi, presented oral
application for the bail of his client, hinging his submission on presumption
of innocence in line with Section 36 (5) of the 1999 Constitution.
But the prosecutor said the accused would jump bail and
interfere with police investigation since investigation into the matter was
still on.
The accused was charged with criminal conspiracy and
culpable homicide, contrary to sections 97(1) and 221 of the Penal Code.
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