Court jails kidnap kingpin Wadume seven years

A federal high court sitting in Abuja has sentenced a kidnap kingpin, Hamisu Bala, also known as Wadume, and two others, to seven years’ imprisonment.

He was convicted by Justice Binta Nyako on two of the 13 charges leveled against him and two others.

The court also convicted Aliyu Dadje, a police inspector, who was the station officer at the police headquarters at Ibi Local Government Area of Taraba State, to three years’ imprisonment for tampering with the record with an intention to conceal crime.

Those charged with Wadume and Dadje are Auwalu Bala (aka Omo Razor), Uba Bala (aka Uba Delu), Bashir Waziri (aka Baba Runs), Zubairu Abdullahi (aka Basho) and Rayyanu Abdul.

The judge also sentenced Delu, Abdullahi and Abdul to seven years’ imprisonment, but discharged and acquitted Omo Razor and Baba Runs, for want of evidence.

The judgement delivered on July 22 was made available to journalists on Sunday.

Wadume and others were arraigned by the Attorney General of the Federation with charges of kidnapping, murder, terrorism and illegal arms.

The charges followed the killing of three police officers and two civilians on August 6, 2019 by some soldiers.

The policemen, who were from the Intelligence Response Team, Abuja, had arrested Wadume at Ibi before they were ambushed on the road by the military men.

Ten military officers earlier charged with the convicts, whose trial were separated for departmental reasons, are Captain Tijjani Balarabe; Staff Sgt David Isaiah; Sgt Ibrahim Mohammed; Corporal Bartholomew Obanye; Private Mohammed Nura; Lance Corporal Okorozie Gideon; Corporal Marcus Michael; Lance Corporal Nvenaweimoeimi Akpagra; Staff Sgt Abdulahi Adamu and Private Ebele Emmanuel.