Court remands Yar’Adua’s son over killing of four

A magistrates’ court in Yola has remanded Aminu Yar’Adua, the son of late former President Umaru Yar’Adua, in prison for allegedly killing four people in an auto crash in Yola.

Yar’Adua, a 36 year-old undergraduate, was charged to court for allegedly causing the death of the four people through dangerous driving on 23 June 2021.

According to the police’s First Information Report (FIR) tendered in court by the prosecutor, Zakka Musa, the accused had, while driving along Yola Bye Pass crushed six people as a result of reckless driving.

Aminu was said to have escaped lynching on the day of the accident as a mob descended on him for reportedly killing the four pedestrians including a toddler and injuring two others.

The prompt intervention of policemen at the scene of the accident reportedly saved Yar’adua, who was said to be an off-campus student of American University of Nigeria.

The court heard that four of the victims were killed and two others were injured in the accident.

“Those that died in the accident were identified as Aisha Umar (30), Aisha Mamadu (32), Suleiman Abubakar(2) and Jummai Abubakar (30), while, Rejoice Annu (28) and Hajara Aliyu (27) sustained injuries,”, the FIR stated.

The prosecuting officer told the court that the relatives of late Aisha Umar, Suleiman Abubakar and Jummai Abubakar had demanded the sum of N15 million from the defendant as compensations.

But when the FIR was read to the defendant as prayed by the prosecutor, he denied committing the offence, describing the allegation as untrue.

At that point, the prosecutor pleaded with the court to adjourn the matter to enable him to duplicate the case file and forward to the Department of Public Prosecutions for legal advice.

The magistrate, Jummai Ibrahim, granted the prosecution’s request and adjourned the matter till August 19, 2021 for further mention.

He then ordered that Aminu Yar’Adua be remanded in prison custody until then.