Nine men and a minor were Monday docked in Jos for the August 14 massacre of 22 travellers in Rukuba road, Plateau state.
Charged by the police for the attack, Mathew Daniel, Jurbe Zamani, Dapar Sunday, Bernard Francis, Daniel Bulus, Yakubu John, Stephen Ishaku, Yohanna Marshal, and a minor pleaded not guilty.
The travellers were attacked while returning from the annual Islamic “dhikr prayer” in Bauchi State to Ikare, Ondo State.
The Prosecution Counsel, Muleng Alex, told the presiding Judge the defendants were responsible for the Rukuba Road massacre.
Mrs Alex said because the defendants were arrested by security operatives with knives, daggers and swords “and so committed an offence contrary to and punishable with death, section 188 and 189 of penal code law of culpable homicide.”
She said since they pleaded not guilty to the offence, “we hereby seek the leave of the Court for a short date to prove our case against the accused persons.”
“Consequently, they should be committed to prison custody as we seek for a new date to come before your lordship for a definite hearing of this case,” Ms Alex pleaded.
The defence counsel, Yakubu Bawa, denied the prosecution counsel’s claim that the motion had been served on all accused persons.
Mr Bawa, who is also the Plateau chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, said, “from our records, it has only been effected on one person instead of all.”
He added that he was “opposing the application to the commutal of the minor, who is 17 years old, to prison custody as we seek to replace him with any of his guardians in accordance with provisions of the law.
“We are making this passionate appeal to this honourable court on the sixth defendant, a minor in accordance with Section 175 of the Criminal Justice law of 2018,” he said.
Mr Bawa explained that they were opposing Mrs Alex’s application because “the minor has filed his defence which is dated September 24 and filed on the same date.”
Justice Arum Ashom adjourned the case until October 13 for a definite hearing and ordered the remaining defendants to be served with proper service before the next adjourned date.
