Five suspects escape from Gombe police station

Five criminal suspects on Sunday escaped from Awak Divisional Police Station in Gombe State.

The spokesman for the state police command, Mahid Abubakar, who disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday in Gombe, however, said three suspects had been re-arrested while two others are still on the run.

The statement read: “Our attention has been drawn to an unfortunate incident at Kamo, Tungo Awak, in Kaltungo Local Government Area, where some suspects who were arrested for shop breaking and theft, and handed over to the police, escaped from lawful custody.

The five criminal suspects – Bello Ibrahim (19), Manasa Isaac (18), Sani Bello (18) and the duo of Muhammed Yahaya, and Bello Babawuro (who are at large), were picked up members of communities of Kamo- Tungo Awak and handed them over to Awak Police Divisional Headquarters, Gombe, for necessary action.

“However, due to an act of negligence of the officer on duty, the suspects escaped on the 27/03/2022 at about 2030hrs. The CP promptly deployed police patrol operatives who responded swiftly and were able, through active intelligence, to re-arrest three of these suspects, while two are still at large. The arrested suspects have been transferred to SCID for discreet investigation.”

Judge counsels police, others on parade of suspects

Justice Cyprian Ajah of the Enugu State High Court on Thursday charged the police and other law enforcement agencies to stop parading criminal suspects in their custody.

Ajah made the call in a paper he presented at the ongoing training on the Implementation of Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015 and Human Rights for Officials of Nigerian Correctional Service, Nigeria Police Force, and Judiciary in Enugu.

He described the parade of suspects when they are still perceived as innocent as media trial.

The judge said: “Mental torture is deeper and lasts longer than physical torture.

The constitution presumes every accused person as innocent until proven guilty from the point of the law.

“So, when you parade a person before the public, through the television, radio and newspapers, the public see him as a criminal, perceive him as a criminal and most times treat him or her as one.

Incidentally, when the person undergoes trial and is discharged and acquitted, there will be no opportunity of parading him again to say that he is innocent.

“Those who watched him before that had labelled him a criminal would not have the opportunity or time to watch him paraded as innocent.

“It is unfair hearing. It is bad and the constitution and the laws of the land are wholly against all forms of media and sensational trial of any suspects outside the court.

“The innocent person in question continues to suffer torment and mental torture throughout his lifetime and become a subject of humiliation and scorn even among his own people.”

How we killed Senator Na’Allah’s son – Suspects

Two suspects arrested in connection with the murder of Capt. Abdulkareem Na’Allah, the eldest son of a former federal lawmaker, Bala Ibn Na’Allah, on Thursday revealed how they killed the victim.

The suspects – Bashir Muhammad (23) and Nasiru Salisu (27) – told journalists at the Kano State police command headquarters they went to the deceased’s house to steal his car.

Abdulkareem, a pilot, was murdered at his home on August 29.

Muhammad, who is the prime suspect, claimed he did not know the victim before the incident.

He said: “One day, we were passing in front of the deceased house, three of us including Nasiru, me, and Usman DanKano, when we saw a car parked inside the house.

DanKano casually said we will come and pick the car from the house.

“The next day while it was raining, we gained access into the vicinity of the deceased residence, climbed the rooftop and removed the nails of the roofing sheets.

When we got inside the house, Nasiru and I opened the door for Usman who held a torchlight. The light from the torch attracted the attention of the deceased and immediately he saw us, he picked something from under his bed and he started struggling with Nasiru.

“During the struggle, the deceased fell and when he fell, we used a rope for hanging clothes to tie him and he never spoke again. We picked up the car keys and left.”

On his part, Salisu, who lives in Kawo, said Mohammed tied up the victim after the struggle

“I bought 23 bags of rice with my share of the money but it was intercepted by Customs,” he stated.

The spokesman of the Kano State police command, Muhammad Jalige, said the suspects confessed they carried out the crime.

He added that they sold the vehicle for N1 million in the Niger Republic and shared the proceed.