An operative of the Department of State Security (DSS), Femi Babalola, has told a court that the Sarkin Fulani of Kwara State, Adamu Usman, confessed to have masterminded the abduction of one Abubakar Ahmadu and collected N1m for his release in a statement he volunteered at the DSS office in Ilorin.
Babalola disclosed this while testifying before Justice Adenike Akinpelu of the Kwara State High Court, saying, “Abubakar Ahmadu (the victim) in his voluntary statement that he was forced into a private vehicle belonging to one Ibrahim Sahun, blindfolded with his hands tied, and taken to a detention facility under the instruction of Hardo (Sarkin Fulani) where he was kept until 10th of August when he was released to his family.
“And this led to the invitation of the alleged kidnapper, Usman Adamu (Hardo), on the 11th to our office. In his statement, he confessed to have staged the abduction of Abubakar, noting that the ransom was agreed upon at the instance of his brother, Idrissa Adamu, and the meeting was held inside Gide’s house.”
Adebayo Adelodun (SAN), the defence counsel for Usman Adamu and Gide Mohammed, objected to the admissibility of the DSS statements on the ground that its operative, Babalola, while recording them, didn’t comply with the provisions of Section 33(2) of the Kwara State Administration of Criminal Justice Act that their statements should be made in the presence of a legal practitioner or a relative of choice.
He termed the statements as “enlarged versions of the exact statements made by the defendants” and prayed the court to grant the first defendant bail on health grounds.
However, the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Ayoola Idowu Akande, said the provisions as cited by Adelodun were just “procedural laws” not fit enough to render the statements of the defendants inadmissible before the court.
The judge struck out the bail applications and adjourned the case to February 1, 2023.
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