From Godwin Agia, in Jalingo
Hon Justice Joel Agya, the Chief Judge of Taraba state has sentenced three persons to two years imprisonment for criminal conspiracy without an option of a fine.
The convicts, Abdulmumin Ibrahim, Adamu Abdulhameed, and Yahaya Umar—alongside a fourth defendant, Suleiman Muhammed, were tried for a two-count charge of criminal conspiracy and a substantive charge of armed robbery, to which they pleaded not guilty.
Justice Agya, who delivered the verdict on Monday, discharged and acquitted the fourth defendant, Muhammed.
While ruling on the substantive charge of armed robbery, Justice Agya noted that the prosecuting counsel, Gimba Samson Esq., failed to present the victim of the armed robbery incident and eyewitnesses to testify in court.
This failure, according to him, led to the dismissal of the armed robbery charges against the defendants.
He said, “the failure of the prosecution counsel to present the vital witness, which in this case is the victim of the armed robbery incident, Summaya Hamman Adama, and eyewitnesses to the armed robbery incident before the court during trial raises doubt if the defendants committed the offense.
“For this reason, he failed to prove the armed robbery case beyond a reasonable doubt, and the defendants are discharged and acquitted.”
However, on the charge of criminal conspiracy, Justice Agya pointed out that the confessional statements of the first, second, and third defendants, Ibrahim, Abdulhameed, and Umar, presented as exhibits to the court, indicated that they planned to rob unsuspecting persons of their valuables.
He explained that in their confessional statements, which are now exhibits, they admitted to this and further stated that they were caught by a mob after snatching a purse from a woman.
Agya further noted that the fourth defendant, Muhammed, was only a victim of circumstance, as indicated in his confessional statement and that of the convicted trio, who said he happened to be in the same tricycle with them.
Based on this premise, Justice Agya discharged and acquitted Muhammed of the criminal conspiracy charge, while sentencing the first, second, and third defendants to two years’ imprisonment without the option of a fine.
Justice Agya also stated that the convicts could appeal the judgment if they wished.
He added that the verdict would serve as a lesson to young men, who might be considering crime instead of channeling their energies into productive ventures.
