Dead the Ransom for Murder
A Maiduguri High Court yesterday sentenced a 27-year-old man, Ahmed Abatcha of Damboa road, Maiduguri to death by hanging for killing his friend, Bashir Alhaji Busami, with a car and stabbing him in the stomach.
Ahmed claimed to be a sociology student in the University of Maiduguri. This was not independently verified. He was also said to have hit the deceased with a spanner and cutlass on his head after sedating him with drugs, court documents showed Bashir’s father was said to have reported at the G.R.A police Station that his son travelled in a suspicious manner with the convict without returning home after six days and Ahmed was arrested when he could not give satisfactory explanation on the whereabouts of his friend.
Hadiza Bashir, wife of the deceased, had earlier told the court that her late husband and Ahmed ate together after which they left the house saying that was the last time she saw her husband. She added that Ahmed later came to their house without any satisfactory answer as to the whereabouts of her husband.
Police also told the court that the wrist watch and shoes of the deceased were found with Ahmed.
Ahmed in his confessional statement which the police tendered at the court confessed to have killed Bashir. He also confessed to be a member of a cult based in Lagos.
“I drove off and was heading towards Kano via Yobe after Damaturu before Potiskum town in Damagun, Bashir woke up from the side effect of influence of the drug and I gave him water to drink but he could not and in the state of confusion I stopped.
When Bashir opened the door of the vehicle and fell on the ground, he got up and started running into the bush. I followed him and stabbed him with a sharp knife I was holding in my hand and he removed the knife and wanted to attack me back. He fell down and I quickly snatched the knife because he was weak and I brought the car and ran over him”, part of his statement read.
Daily Trust Wednesday, October, 20th 2010,
Page 4
From Yahaya Ibrahim, Maiduguri
