A Chief Magistrate Court number 2, sitting in Minna, Niger State, presided over by Hajiya Fati Hassan Umar, has sentenced a 35-year-old ex-jailbird, Bala Mohammed, to four years of imprisonment.
The ex-convict was found guilty on three counts of charges that bordered on conspiracy, attempted kidnapping, and criminal intimidation.
According to the police prosecutor, Sgt. Abdullahi Usman, the three charges were punishable under sections 3(1), 3(3), and 397 of the Kidnapping and Cattle Rustling Law of Niger State 2016 and the Penal Code Law, respectively.
The police operatives attached to the Anti-Kidnapping Squad of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) of the State Police Command arraigned the accused on a First Information Report (FIR) with reference number MN/CMC/CR/95/2024, made available in court and obtained by the newsmen.
The police prosecutor informed the court that one Alhaji Sardauna Abdullahi of Wawa village in Borgu Local Government Area of the state reported that on the 7th of August 2024, he received a telephone call from an unknown caller through GSM Number 09167577960, who allegedly threatened him to pay a ransom of N3 million; failure to do so would result in his kidnapping and death.
“After a series of negotiations, the unknown caller later agreed to collect the sum of N500,000. Police detectives and a vigilante group swung into action and arrested you, Bala Mohammed, of Wawa village in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State, in the process of collecting the ransom.
“During the police investigation, you, Bala Mohammed, confessed to conspiring with one Idris (surname unknown) of Nasarawa State, who is now at large, and whom you met while serving your jail term at Minna Old Correctional Centre. You provided the complainant with a phone number that you called and threatened him.”
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When the charges were read to the convict by the presiding Chief Magistrate, Hajiya Fati Hassan Umar, he pleaded guilty to the three counts.
At this point, the police prosecutor, Sgt. Usman Abdullahi, told the court to convict and sentence the accused person summarily in accordance with the provisions of Section 190 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) Niger State 2023.
While passing her verdict, the presiding Chief Magistrate described the convict as an unrepentant criminal, which made her doubt his conscience.
“The convict, however, pleaded for leniency, but in the First Information Report (FIR) before the court, it was stated that the convict had served a jail term at Old Minna Prison, which makes me doubt his conscience and leads me to regard him as a person of questionable character.
“The FIR also revealed that it was during the payment of the ransom that the convict was apprehended by the police. Had the victim not paid the money, the convict would have succeeded with his evil plans against the victim.
“Therefore, the convict’s plea for leniency is not accepted. He is hereby convicted and sentenced to four years of imprisonment with hard labor,” said the presiding Chief Magistrate, Hajiya Fati Hassan Umar.
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