They returned after a while and he told me that he forgot his cellphone there, that I should go bring it.
Adamu Ahmadu, 28, who was wrongly accused of stealing a mobile phone has been tortured to death on the instruction of his boss, Hamidu Umar in Adamawa State.
SaharaReporters learnt that on the ill-fated Saturday, Ahmadu, a domestic staff, reported to duty at Umar's house in the morning and met his boss searching for his mobile phone.
Speaking with SaharaReporters on Monday shortly before he died in the hospital, Ahmadu groaned in pains as he explained.
He said, “I met him with a female visitor in the living room and the two of them left for his second house within the same neighbourhood. They returned after a while and he told me that he forgot his cellphone there, that I should go bring it.
"I went, searched to no avail and I returned to inform him so. As I was explaining, two hefty guys walked in and he ordered them to torture me until I produced his cellphone, else they should kill me.
"The guys, identified as Faisal, whose mother is a police officer and Sholey Manas pounced on me with clubs and daggers, broke my two wrists and my head as you can see.
"As the beating got intense, a man walked in and suggested that they should stop beating me and thoroughly search the living room first; he agreed and fortunately the cellphone was found under the sofa where he (Umar) sat.”
Narrating further, Ahmadu's mother said, “Someone came to me running on the fateful day, crying that my son was locked in Hamidu Umar's house and may be killed.
"I rushed out and before I got there, I found them at the ward head's palace, my son was bleeding profusely. I inquired to know what his crime and was told it was suspicion of cellphone theft but that it was later found.
"I don't understand how a human being would be so badly manhandled on account of a mere cellphone, even if he actually stole it. My son has a wife and two infant boys, how can I fend for them seeing his condition?” she lamented.
After an interview with SaharaReporters, Ahmadu died on Monday due to internal bleeding and complications as a result of injuries caused to his skull.
As things stand, Umar and his accomplices have been charged to court and remanded in prison custody.
However, one of the accomplices, Faisal, a police officer's son is said to be at large.
Addressing the court after the defendants' guilty plea, police Prosecutor, ASP Francis Audu said, “Even though the defendants had admitted killing their victim, the offence is capital in nature, and the Magistrate Court lacks jurisdiction to entertain the matter.”
He accordingly urged the judge to adjourn the case to enable the prosecution to duplicate the case file and transmit same to the Department of Public Prosecution for legal advice.
The judge, Abdullahi Digil, granted the application as prayed and adjourned the case to the March 2, 2022 and ordered the remand of the defendants in prison custody.