…Adjourns Case To Dec 17
A presiding Senior Magistrate of a Port-Harcourt Magistrate Court has ordered that the case file of two crime suspects, and others at large, be sent to the office of Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for legal advice, in a case involving alleged attempted murder and armed robbery.
Senior Magistrate Lenu S. Baridam ordered the case file sent to the DPP after charges were read to the two crime suspects on Wednesday.
The crime suspects, Hassan Adamu and Samaila Muhamed, both aged 25, and others at large, are facing five counts of charges of attempted murder and armed robbery which they allegedly committed in Rumuolumeni in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The five counts of charges were read and translated to them by a translator because they claimed that they don’t understand English. The charges were read in English and translated in Hausa.
The first charge read to the accused persons said: “That you Hassan Adamu ‘m’, Samaila Muhamed ‘m’ and others now at large on the 2nd day of September, 2019 at about 02:45 hours at No. 50., Ohelem Street, Rumuolumeni, Port-Harcourt, in the Port-Harcourt Magistrate District, did conspire amongst yourselves to commit felony to wit: Armed Robbery and unlawful possession of firearm and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 6 (b) of the Robbery and Firearm (Special Provision) Act Cap RII, LFN 2004.”
Another charge said: “That you Hassan Adamu ‘m’, Samaila Muhamed ‘m’ and others now at large on the same date, time and place, at the aforesaid Magisterial District, did unlawfully had in your possession and under your control one AK 47 rifle, one locally made pistol, eight rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition without license or lawful authority, and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 3(1) of the Robbery and Firearm (Special Provisions) Act Cap RII, LFN 2004”.
Another charge read to the suspects said that they allegedly robbed one Police Inspector Okuma Unuachor attached to Special Protection Unit, Base 19, Port-Harcourt, of his AK47 rifle and eight rounds of live ammunition as they were armed with AK47 rifle, a locally made pistol and other dangerous weapons and also attempted to kill him by shooting him on his right leg and giving him cut on his head with a machete, and so committed an offence punishable under Section 325 of Criminal Code, Cap 38, Laws of Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2004.
All the charges were read and translated to the understanding of the suspects. They did not however take plea.
The presiding magistrate reminded the suspects of their right to bail in prison and adjourned the case to 17 December, 2019.
The two suspects appeared in court on Wednesday in their prison uniform.
Hassan Adamu and Samaila Muhamed were first arraigned on October 10, 2019 by the Rivers State Police Command, in charge Number PMC/1966C/2019 between Commissioner of Police and Hassan Adamu and Samaila Muhamed. The prosecutor in the case is Inspector Ochogwu Wilberforce.
