Five suspects arrested following the invasion of the Minna home of the senator representing Niger East Senatorial District at the National Assembly, Mohammed Sani Musa, have been remanded in the custody of the correctional centre by a Chief Magistrate Court 1 in Minna, Niger State.
Three soldiers and two police officers including an Assistant Superintendent of Police are, however, on the run after the police indicted them over their alleged involvement in the invasion.
The State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) of the Niger state police command stated this last Friday while charging the suspects to court after their arrests.
The five suspects arraigned in court were Felix Clarkson, Oladele Peter Akano, Abdul Salisu, Inspector Babagana Alhaji and Sheriff Jimbarima.
According to the First Information Report (FIR) by the police, the three Army officers from the 31 Artillery Brigade in Minna including one CPL Mohammed J. who are now at large were said to have been armed with AK 47 rifles deployed to 31 Artillery Brigade Minna during the invasion.
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Police investigation, according to the FIR, also revealed that two of the suspects nabbed at the Senator’s residence in Minna, Akano and Jimbarima were said to have presented themselves as Army personnel and staff from the office of the National Security Adviser to gain access to the Minna home of the senator.
They were standing trial on six count charges of criminal conspiracy, attempt to commit an offence to wit kidnapping, attempt to commit an offence to wit armed robbery, criminal trespass, personating a public servant and mischief to property.
The prosecuting police officers, ASP Abdullahi Mayaki and Inspector Aliyu Yakubu argued that the offences contravened sections 3 (1),3 (2) of the kidnapping law of Niger State 2016 and sections 95,348,132, and 327 of the penal code.
They explained that during police investigation, the suspects all confessed to having conspired with ASP Mohammed Umar, Inspector Yakubu Gabriel and three others at large to board a bus from Abuja to Minna for the kidnap operation.
“When you all arrived Minna, you were later supported and assisted by three Army officers of which you Cpl. Mohammed an Army personnel whose surname was unknown and also at large was dressed in mufti and two other Army personnel dressed in Army uniforms armed with AK-47 riffles deployed from the Nigerian Army Artillery Brigade of the Army Barrack in Minna all at large and with intent to kidnap Senator Muhammad Sani Musa (aka Sani 313),” the Police said.
When the charges were read to the accused persons, they all pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The prosecutors, therefore, prayed the court to remand them in correctional custody to enable the police to arrest the other fleeing suspects.
The Chief Magistrate, Mallam Adamu Abubakar, thereby ordered the remand of the suspects in Minna correctional custody and adjourned the case to January 3, 2023.
