JamzNG Latest News, Gist, Entertainment in Nigeria
The police on Thursday charged 11 shepherds in the Makurdi head judge court in the state of Benue for allegedly terrorizing the community in the state.
The defendants are Nanzir Ishaya, Suleiman Umaru, Jacobu Mallam, Dauda Abdulkarim, Manu Buhari, Haruna Abdulkarim, Ibrahim Mallam, Yunusa Waziri, Idi Usman, Adamu Manu and Abdullahi Waku.
They were charged with a criminal conspiracy, illegal ownership of firearms, acts of terrorism, open grazing, and suspected stolen cattle.
However, the head of the judge, Mr. Kelvin Mbanongun, did not take their request because of the lack of jurisdiction.
He returned the defendants to the Correctional Center in Makurdi and postponed this problem until July 7 to be mentioned further.
Also read: The Court Delays the trial of the lawyer session for the alleged N32BN fraud until June 19
Previously, prosecutor, Insp. Godwin Ato, told the court that on June 1, a police team attached to the Zenda operation in Katsina-ala received a trusted information that a group of armed bandits who were the allies of a feared bandit leader, Amakaa Akwaza, were seen in their hiding place in Nugu Village with weapons.
“When receiving information, the Joint Operations Team of Zenda and the Civil Protection of the Benue state, led by Insp. Donald Ahulu was mobilized to the hiding place and involved the suspects in the battle of weapons.
“Operators defeated the bandits suspected of some of them fled, and one AK-47 rifle with number 6189 with 16 rounds of life ammunition, found at the scene.
“The operators then arrested 10 of the bandits suspected when they loaded cattle suspected of being stolen into the Mercedes Benz truck with a registration number of TTM 405 XA, Taraba, and openly grazed with several cows in the nearest agriculture.
“Further investigations caused the arrest of the 11th people, representing, who said he had worked with Akwaza in supplying weapons to the shepherds who terrorized the Benue and its surroundings,” Ato said.
