This is because on Thursday in Minna, the state capital, the Director-General, Niger State Child Rights Agency, Maryam Haruna Kolo, has written a letter to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in the state Ministry of Justice for advice on the state of Baaratu’s mental health, with a view to speeding up her trial over the offence which had dragged on since last year.
Kolo said the decision to seek for accelerated trial of the case in the court arose, following the sudden death of the victim, Buhari Muhammadu Awwal, popularly called Baby Buhari.
The Child Rights boss, who stated that the case of the accused housewife, who had been remanded in prisons custody in Minna on the orders of the court, had been stalled against the backdrop of the inability of the DPP to furnish the court with an advice on the mental health of the accused for close to one year.
“The trial of the accused, Baaratu Muhammed Awwal is still on-going, because she is still being remanded in custody at Minna Old Prisons and we are still waiting for the advice of the Office of the Director of the Public Prosecution in the state Ministry of Justice.
“The accused is facing a two count charge of causing grievous hurt and attempt to commit homicide, before Chief Magistrate’s Court 5 B, in Tunga area of Minna.
“We had written to the Attorney-General to ask for an advice about three or four weeks ago through the state Police Command, to further investigate her mental state, as if we had premonition of Baby Buhari’s death.
“And with the coming up of the case (which is going to be very soon), we have written to the state Attorney -General and we also copied the state Commissioner of Police on the need for the advice to be treated speedily because the child is now dead.
“An advice has to be given appropriately and we are hoping that the DPP will hasten up the process because it has been a year plus now that we have been waiting for an advice. We are actually hoping that with the present Attorney-General who is up and doing, I know we are going to get an advice as soon as possible,” she stated.
But when asked if there is going to be an amended charge in the case after the state government would have got the advice from the office of the DPP, she said she was not sure until an advice is released.
Haruna Kolo, however, expressed shock and disappointment over the unexpected death of Baby Buhari, pointing out that both Governor Abubakar Sani Bello, who she described as the most child-friendly governor in Nigeria and his wife, Amina, a consultant gynaecologist, were very devastated by the development.
“Baby Buhari is now dead in spite of the enormous amount of fund that has been expended on him by Governor Abubakar Sani Bello to ensure that he survived. We are very, very sad about his demise, but it is God’s will.
“The parents, his parents’ uncle and other relations are here in Minna today (Thursday) because the governor asked to see them so that he could condole with them about the demise of their son,” explained the Child Rights Agency boss.
She, however, expressed doubt about the insinuations that Baby Buhari might have died as a result of alleged mismanagement of his health by his parents, saying that since last year when the incident occurred, both her office and the medical personnel managing the little boy had instructed the parents that once they see a slight change in his health, they should immediately travel down to Minna.
She explained further that Baby Buhari’s parents had, on Monday, July 31st, taken him for medical check-up at the Federal Medical Centre, Bida, and returned to their village the next day after being certified medically okay.
Unfortunately, the boy was said to have suddenly developed temperature last weekend. His parents reportedly took him from their village and brought him to Minna. Along the journey, baby Buhari was said to have given up the ghost around Kuta area of Shiroro Local Government of the state.
and then