Godwin Tsa Abuja
A prosecution witness yesterday gave graphic details of how he was hired by soldiers to free the Taraba State kidnap kingpin, Hamisu Bala (commonly called Wadume) by breaking off the handcuffs on his hands.
The witness, Hafizu Bala, a welder, gave the details in his testimony before the Abuja division of the Federal High Court, where Wadume and six others are standing trial.
Meanwhile, Justice Binta Nyako has ordered Wadume and six other defendants to be moved from the custody of the Special Anti–Robbery Squad (SARS) to the National Correctional Centre, Kuje, Abuja.
Justice Binta Nyako made the order after rejecting the bail applications filed by them. In her ruling, Justice Nyako said there was no reason granting them bail since the court had already ordered for an accelerated trial.
She also ordered that the defendants must be availed access to medical facility and allowed to have access to their lawyers while in prison.
Wadume is answering to a 13-count amended criminal charge the Federal Government preferred against him and six of his alleged accomplices that included a police Inspector, Aliyu Dadje. Aside Wadume and Inspector Dadje, other defendants in the amended charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/30/2020, are Auwalu Bala (aka Omo Razor), Uba Bala (aka Uba Belu), Bashir Waziri (aka Baba runs); Zubairu Abdullahi (aka Basho) and Rayyanu Abdul. The charges against them border on terrorism, murder, kidnapping and illegal arms running.
Wadume who was arrested in 2019 over his alleged involvement in several kidnap incidents, however, escaped from custody on August 6, 2019, when gunmen attacked the team of policemen that arrested him.
Police alleged that he was assisted by Soldiers attached to Battalion 93, Takum, led by one Capt. Tijjani Balarabe, resulting in the death of three policemen and two civilians, with five other police officers badly injured.