A top prison official during the weekend said Wadume, who is awaiting trial, is the closest person to Nyame in the facility.
Suspected Taraba State kidnap kingpin, Bala Hamisu, popularly known as Wadume, and Jolly Nyame, a former governor of the state convicted for fraud are “best of friends” at the Kuje Correctional Centre, Abuja, a top official has told SaharaReporters.
Nyame, who governed Taraba from 1999 to 2007, was in 2018 sentenced to 14 years in prison by Justice Adebukola Banjoko of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja for stealing N1.6billionn from the state’s treasury.
The former governor then appealed the judgment of the trial court and the jail term was reduced to 12 years, the Appeal Court judgment was also upheld by the Supreme Court.
In April, the Council of States after a meeting in Abuja agreed to free Nyame, former Governor Joshua Dariye (Plateau) and 157 other convicts.
However, few weeks after the pardon was granted, the former Taraba governor is yet to be released by the prison authorities.
A top prison official during the weekend said Wadume, who is awaiting trial, is the closest person to Nyame in the facility.[story_link align="left"]99735[/story_link]
The duo were said to be kept in a block called “VIP” and are allowed to enjoy certain privileges not permitted by the prison rules and regulations.
“While Nyame is in VIP custody 3 down, Wadume is in VIP custody 4 down. Both are living large like kings. Wadume though staying in a VIP room has two other people staying with him while Nyame stays alone in a room,” the prison official said.
“However, Wadume is always with Governor Nyame from morning to late evening before going back to his room. They are very close and best of friends.”
The official added that Wadume had been bragging to other inmates, claiming some powerful Nigerian politicians are working behind the scene to truncate his case.
“Judgment on his case will be delivered on June 10 but he has been bragging all about that he would be discharged and acquitted; that he has powerful politicians behind him,” the source added.[story_link align="left"]109556[/story_link]
The police had on February 3, 2020, originally filed 16 counts of terrorism, murder, kidnapping and illegal arms running against Wadume and the others.
They were accused of conspiring to commit felony, to wit: “acts of terrorism, by attacking and kidnapping one Usman Garba, aka Mayo, at his filling station in Takum, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 17 of the Terrorism (Prevention) Amendment Act 2013.”
They were also accused of possessing six AK-47 rifles and dealing in prohibited firearms contrary to Section 27 (1)(a)(I) and (1)(b)(iii) of the Firearms Act 2004.
Count one of the charge read, “That you, Alhaji Hamisu Bala, 33, aka Wadume; Capt Ahmed Tijjani Balarabe; ASP Aondona Iorbee; Insp Aliyu Dadje; Auwalu Bala; Uba Bala; Ahmad Suleiman; Bashir Waziri; Zubairu Abdullahi; Rayyanu Abdul and others now at large between February and April 2019 at Takum and Ibi, Taraba State, within the jurisdiction of this court, while acting in concert, conspired together to commit felony, to wit: acts of terrorism by attacking and kidnapping one Usman Garba, aka Mayo at his filling station in Takum, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 17 of the Terrorism (Prevention) Amendment Act 2013.”
They allegedly demanded a N200million ransom and killed the victim despite receiving N106.3million.
“DCP Abba Kyari, CSP Baba Khali, ASP Abdulrahman Mohammed, ASP Bawa James, Insps Habila Samuel and Ilarju Joseph are the investigating police officers in this case,” the police stated.
Listed as exhibits in the case were the written statements of the defendants, photographs of the victims, autopsy reports, six AK-47 rifles recovered from the gang, three empty shells, one live ammunition and six Volkswagen Sharon buses, and one (police) Toyota Hiace bus, among others.
Some soldiers led by Tijjani Balarabe, a captain, were also named in the charges filed by the police.
But Abubakar Malami, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, on June 3, 2020, took over the case from the police and removed the soldiers’ names from the charges.
The action of Malami was widely condemned as taken against public interest.
Wadume was first arrested in Ibi, Taraba State, by members of the Intelligence Response Team of the Inspector-General of Police on August 6, 2019 before soldiers led Balarabe aided his escape from the custody of the policemen ferrying him to Abuja.
Three policemen and two civilians were killed during the incident, while five other police officers were injured.
One of the policemen killed in the incident was Felix Adolije, an Assistant Superintendent, who was described as one of the best among the team known for handling special crime cases across the country.