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Court Remands Ex-council Boss Who Exposed Masari's Payment Of N30m To Bandits Over Kankara Students’ Abduction

February 9, 2021

The two police prosecutors told the court where Mota was last arraigned on Monday that investigation was still in progress on the case.

The police have brought five charges against a former caretaker chairman of Jibia Local Government Area of Katsina State, Haruna Musa Mota, currently being remanded at the Katsina Correctional Centre for his alleged role in last December’s abduction of 344 students of Government Science Secondary School, Kankara.

The charges include alleged criminal breach of trust by an agent; inciting disturbance; aiding and abetting of armed robbery; kidnapping and terrorism.

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According to the police First Information Report containing the charges, Mota was arrested on February 3, 2021 based on credible intelligence on his alleged links with bandits over the abductions.

It read, “On January 30, 2021, at about 0800 hours, as a member of Katsina State Fulani/farmers reconciliation committee entrusted with the mandate of negotiating between bandits/kidnappers/robbers in Katsina State, you breached the trust by deliberately using your Samsung GSM Phone with MTN Number: 08032981919 in calling one well-known armed bandits’ commander residing in Zamfara forest, Zamfara State who masterminded the kidnapping of the students of Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, sometime in December 2020, instigating him with unverified information regarding the release of said students.[story_link align="left"]89831[/story_link]

“As a result of this information to the commander of the armed bandits by you, he informed his gang who are now rising against the government and people of Katsina State, threatening to continue terrorising them for the money to be released to them. All these are contrary to sections 298,78 and 47 of the penal code law of Katsina State, 2019.”

The two police prosecutors on the case, Isa Litti and EM Garuba, however, told the court where Mota was last arraigned on Monday that investigation was still in progress on the case.

The prosecutors requested a new date for the case to be mentioned.

The presiding Chief Magistrate, Hjaiya Aminat Ibrahim, granted the request and adjourned the case till March 25, 2021, for mention.

She also directed that the Certified True Copy of the FIR be released to Mota's counsel, Ahmed Danbaba, as requested by him.[story_link align="left"]89975[/story_link]

Ibrahim directed that Mota be remanded at the correctional centre till March 25, 2021, when the case comes up before her for mention.

An audio recording had resurfaced recently where Mota was heard discussing with a commander of a banditry group, Auwalu, over last December abduction of over 300 students of Government Science Secondary School, Kankara.

The former LGA chairman told the bandits commander that Governor Masari claimed he paid the group N800 million to secure the freedom of the students which Auwalu refuted, stating that the governor had paid N30 million only.

Topics
Legal Terrorism