The Bauchi State Government has filed criminal charges against a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, and 28 others before a state high court.
The 11-count criminal charge was preferred against the defendants over the alleged killings and destruction of property during the celebration of the leader and crusader of the Sayawa Nation held in Bogoro, headquarters of Bogoro Local Government Area of the state, last year.
The charge sheet prepared by the lead counsel to the government, Hassan U. El-Yakub (SAN), and endorsed by the Chief Registrar of the Bauchi State High Court, indicates that the 11-count charge made public on Friday accused Dogara and the 28 others of conspiring to cause bodily harm to people in the area to frustrate the progress of the memorial anniversary.
Part of the charges brought under Sections 98(1) and (2), 100(b) and 103(b) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Bauchi State, 2018, joins Dogara alongside Air Commodore Ishaku Komo (Rtd), Rev Markus Musa, Peter Emmanuel, Ga’Allah Daniel and Iliya Emmanuel as defendants.
The charge alleges that the defendants “on or about the 29th, 30 and/or 31st day of December 2021 agreed to do or cause to be done an illegal act to wit: you conspired amongst yourselves and others at large to incite the youths of Tafawa Balewa and Bogoro towns to disturb public peace by burning people’s houses, blocking access roads, physically attacking guests and other participants attending the 21st memorial anniversary and book launch of late Baba Peter Gonto at Bogoro Town, destroy and burn all facilities provided for the occasion, thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 96 and punishable under Section 97 of the Penal Code Law of Bauchi State.”
No date has been fixed for the commencement of the case.
Recall that the ex-speaker had written to the IGP over an impending security threat in the 21st-anniversary event which led to controversy among the Sayawa people.
The police had listed 10 individuals whose houses were torched during the crisis.
It was reported that the emirs of Bauchi, Alhaji Rilwanu Suleiman Adamu; and Dass, Alh Usman Bilyaminu Othman; were attacked, leading to the damage of cars in their convoys.
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