Mustapha Umar, a self confessed Boko Haram member arrested and tried before a Federal High Court siting in Abuja in connection with the 26th April, 2012 bombing of SOJ Plaza in Kaduna state occupied by ThisDay, The Moment and The Sun Newspapers, was on November 15, 2013, Friday, found guilty of the one count charge of terrorism and sentenced for life.
The
convicted terrorist was alleged to have driven a white Honda Academy
car with registration number AL 306 MKA with improvised explosives
devices into the premises of SOJ plaza with the intention to detonate
improvised explosive devices within the premises.
The incident claimed the lives of three persons and caused several degrees of injuries on others.
The
convict had pleaded not guilty during his trial but the court placed
heavy reliance on his recorded interview which he granted to
investigators during interrogations where he claimed to be a member of
the notorious Boko Haram sect, as well as the testimonies of ten
witnesses comprising of police officers who participated in the
investigation and were led in evidence during the trial.
The
prosecution drew the court’s attention to section 4 (2) of the
Terrorism Act and asked the court to consider the deaths recorded at the
incident and to pronounce a death sentence on the accused but the court
declined that invitation and pointed out that the convict was charged
against section One of the Terrorism Prevention Act which provides for a
life sentence upon conviction.
The
court also found that the convict demonstrated no remorse for his
actions throughout the trial and observed that the souls of those whose
deaths were caused by his actions are crying out for substantial justice
noting that no one’s life is more important than that of others.
Furthermore,
the court held that the convict’s reason for attacking ThisDay
newspapers which he said was because the newspaper was denigrating
Prophet Mohammed was unattainable and noted that as members of the
fourth realm, nobody should be allowed to muzzle the press, an objective
which the terrorist act was calculated to achieve.
Pleadings
by the defence lawyer for the court to temper justice with mercy as the
convict is a youth whose family and aged parents depend on for their
livelihood fell on deaf ears as the court slammed a life sentence on the
convict with a fine of One Hundred and Fifty Million Naira. His
sentence is to be served with hard labour.
The
court further noted that the state of mind of the convict with which
the terrorism attack was planned, coordinated and orchestrated
reinforced its determination to remove him (Mustapha Umar) from the public for life.
To the families of the victims of the terror act, the court awarded the sum of One Hundred and Fifty Million Naira,
noting that their deaths should not just go like that. This will be
forwarded to the Committee set up by the President on the resolution of
the Boko Haram insurgents actions for payment.
The
court presided by Justice Ademola Adeniyi also praised the Nigeria
Police Force for the expertise and professionalism demonstrated in the
trial which led to the quality prosecution of the matter by the team of
lawyers led by Mr. Shuaibu Labaran, a senior state counsel from
Nigeria’s Ministry of Justice.
The case is the first conviction recorded under the amended Terrorism Prevention Act of 2011. READ MORE: http://news.naij.com/52114.html
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment