The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has sentenced kidnap kingpin, Hamisu Bala, well known as Wadume, to seven years imprisonment.

The presiding judge, Justice Binta Nyako, convicted Wadume for escaping from lawful custody and unlawfully dealing in prohibited firearms.

Justice Nyako, in the judgment delivered on July 22, 2022, details of which were obtained on Sunday, convicted Wadume on counts two and 10 of the 13-count charge preferred against him and six others by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation on behalf of the Federal Government.

Other defendants in the charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/30/2020 include Aliyu Dadje (a police Inspector), Auwalu Bala (aka omo razor), Uba Bala (aka Uba Delu), Bashir Wazlri (aka Baba runs), Zubairu Abdullahi (aka Basho), and Rayyanu Abdul.

The presiding judge also sentenced Inspector Dadje, who was a Station Officer at the Ibi Divisional Police Headquarters in Ibi Local Government Area of Taraba State, to three years imprisonment on count seven, in which he was accused of tampering with police record to conceal a crime.

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Dadje was said to have in August 2019 “willfully tampered with the entry made by the leader of the IGP IRT team, Inspector Felix Adolije, by tearing off the entry page to cover up for Captain Tijani Ahmed Balarabe and his team” after knowing that an offence of terrorism had been committed by Capt. Balarabe and his team, who attacked and killed three members of the IGP IRT team and two civilians who were in Ibi, Taraba State to make a lawful arrest.

Justice Nyako also sentenced Uba Bala and Zubairu Abdullahi to seven years imprisonment each on counts three, four, five, six, and 11.

The duo, in the four counts, were charged with illegal possession and unlawful dealing in prohibited firearms and ammunition.

The presiding judge equally convicted and sentenced Abdul to three years for harbouring Wadume in his house in Kano after Wadume’s escape from police custody in Ibi.

Justice Nyako, however, struck out count one in which Wadume was charged with kidnapping Usman Garba and collecting N106 million before releasing him.

She further discharged and acquitted Auwalu Bala and Bashir Wazlri, who were listed as the 3rd and 5th defendants, for want of evidence.

The Star