BEVERLY HILLS, September 08, (THEWILL) – The Police in Kogi, on Thursday, arraigned Mohammed Audu, eldest son of the former governor of the state, the late Prince Abubakar Audu, for robbery and attempted culpable homicide at a Lokoja Magistrates’ Court.
Mohammed was arrested on Wednesday night when he honoured police invitation at the Special Anti-Robbery Squad at the Police Headquarters in Lokoja following a complaint by a family member, Prince Yahaya Audu.
The prosecution charged the accused with criminal conspiracy, causing grievous hurt, mischief, armed robbery and attempted culpable homicide, contrary to sections 97(1), 248, 327, 298 and 229 of the Penal Code.
The prosecuting police officer, Mr Gabriel Otowu, told the court that Mohammed allegedly committed the offences against his uncle, Prince Yahaya Audu, on Aug. 30, in the family house at Ogbonicha, Ofu Local Government Area.
Otowu told the court that Yahaya and one Ibrahim Immam were in his family compound at Ogbonicha for the eighth day prayer of Dauda Audu when the alleged offence took place.
He alleged that hoodlums armed with guns, cutlasses and axe criminally conspired and invaded Yahaya’s compound, attacked him from behind and thoroughly beat him up.
He said that the suspects inflicted injuries on the complainant and shot sporadically into the air.
He also said that they broke the windscreen of his jeep and made away with his Samsung handset adding that the complainant and Imman sustained bullet wounds and were later rushed to the Specialist Hospital, Lokoja, for treatment.
In his submission, Okechukwu Ayewu, leading seven other lawyers for the accused, urged the court to grant his client bail in line with the constitution and the Criminal Procedure Code.
Otowu, however, did not object to the bail application but urged the court to use its discretion.
The Magistrate, Mr Alhassan Husaini, in his ruling, said: “Though I find on the face of the originating process (FIR) a barrage of allegations, it appears that both counsel are on the same page.
“Accordingly, the accused person herein is admitted to bail in the sum of N100, 000 with a surety in like sum,” he said and adjourned the matter to Sept. 29 for further mention.
THEWILL recalls that Fanwo Kingsley, Chief Press Secretary to the Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, had issued a statement on the heels of Audu’s arrest absolving the Governor of being responsible for the arrest.
“If members of Audu family run foul of the Law, they would not be spared just because they are members of Audu’s family. Nobody is above the law. Even if members of the Governor’s family break the law, they will be arrested,” the statement read.
“It is, therefore, unwise to link politics and criminality. Law enforcement agents should be left to do their work. Government is focused on governance. Politics is over. It is not the responsibility of Governor Yahaya Bello to arrest suspected criminals.
“The Governor will never stop security agencies from carrying out their lawful responsibilities of safeguarding lives and property. Anyone who breaks the Law must be prepared for the consequences of doing so.”
Prince Abubakar Audu was twice the Governor of Kogi state. His first tenure was from January 1992 until November 1993 and the second from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2003. He died on November 22, 2015, during the state’s Gubernatorial election where he was the candidate of the ruling All Progressive Party (APC).
Story by David Oputah
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