Justice Aisha Wodu Bawa from High Court 3 in Suleja, Niger State, has instructed the Area Commander of Suleja, ACP Sani Musa, to arrest five individuals suspected of being involved in the murder of Alhaji Muhammad Abdulsafur, the Village Head of Lambata in Gurara Local Government Area of the state.
On January 4, 2023, a group of angry youths from Lambata forcefully entered the home of the deceased and killed him.
After the incident, 14 suspects were arrested, and 12 of them are currently facing trial for murder. The prosecuting counsel, Halilu Umar, from the state’s Ministry of Justice, informed the court that the individuals directly involved in the monarch’s killing were still at large in Lambata. He alleged that the police had not taken action to apprehend them for prosecution under Section 221 of the Penal Code. The suspects on the run were identified as Dauda Umar Sarki, Hamza Umar Sarki, Yusuf Chaska, Zubairu Dambaka, and Abdulkareem Dantani.
The court granted bail to the 12 suspects already on trial, setting it at N1 million each, along with a surety each. The case was adjourned to January 4, 2024.