A High Court in Maiduguri, Borno State, has sentenced four members of a volunteer security outfit, Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), to two years in prison for helping a cattle thief to evade punishment.
Alhaji Bura Wakil, Hassan Jidda, Ibrahim Abacha and Zakariyya Kachalla who were all members of the CJTF in Jakana village, were found guilty for ‘an offence of screening an offender from punishment contrary to Section 167 of the Penal Code,’ according to the judgment.
The thief was arrested by community members and given to the accused who were in turn, expected to hand him over to the police to face prosecution; instead, they freed him.
The incident, according to submissions made before the court, occurred on December 21, 2019 at 2pm when three armed thieves attacked one Kolomi Mohammed. They forced him to lie down and stabbed him with a machete. The thieves also shot him in the legs before they moved away his 40 cows and 41 sheep; his legs were later amputated at the General Hospital, Maiduguri, the court heard.
However, residents were able to track down the suspects, recover the animals and arrest one of thieves.
Justice Wakkil Alkali Gana of High Court II, said the excuse given by the convicts “is akin to tales by moonlight,” and called on the government to closely monitor the activities of members of the CJTF.
The judge however, accepted their plea of leniency and sentenced them for two years imprisonment without an option of fine.
