5th February, 2020
Six months after he was arrested in Kano, Hamisu Bala, suspected Taraba kidnap kingpin has been charged with 16 counts of terrorism, murder and kidnapping.
From the court filings, the bedrock of the police case is the kidnapping in Takum on 16 February 2019 of a petrol dealer Usman Garba by the Wadume gang.
The Wadume gang demanded N200million ransom. Despite that relations of the victim were able to hand over N106.3m, he was killed.
The police stated that the prosecution would rely on the testimonies of 29 witnesses.
“DCP Abba Kyari, CSP Baba Khali, ASP Abdulrahman Mohammed, ASP Bawa James, Insps Habila Samuel and Ilarju Joseph are the investigating police officers in this case; they will testify about their findings in the course of the investigation and will tender exhibits and documents,” the police said in their court filings.
The arrest of Bala, better known as Wadume last year in Taraba, led to the killing of three policemen and a civilian by soldiers at a checkpoint. Wadume then escaped until his re-arrest in Kano.
The Punch, reporting on the charge, said it was filed by Simon Lough, Anthony Egwu, and Peter Amadi of the legal/prosecution section of the force headquarters in Abuja.
Wadume is charged alongside Tijjani Balarabe, an army captain and 18 others.
Also on the list of defendants are Staff Sgt. David Isaiah; Sgt. Ibrahim Mohammed; Corporal Bartholomew Obanye; Private Mohammed Nura; Lance Corporal Okorozie Gideon; Corporal Markus Michael; L/Corporal Nvenaweimoeimi Akpagra; Staff Sgt. Abdullahi Adamu; Private Ebele Emmanuel; ASP Aondona Iorbee and Insp. Aliyu Dadje and Auwalu Bala, aka Omo Razor.
Others on the charge sheet are Uba Bala (aka Uba Belu); Ahmad Suleiman (aka Dan Ball); Bashir Waziri, (aka Baba runs); Zubairu Abdullahi (aka Basho); Hafizu Bala (aka Maiwelder); and Rayyanu Abdul.
Count one of the charge reads: “That you, Alhaji Hamisu Bala, 33, aka Wadume; Capt. Ahmed Tijjani Balarabe; ASP Aondona Iorbee; Insp. Aliyu Dadje; Auwalu Bala; Uba Bala; Ahmad Suleiman; Bashir Waziri; Zubairu Abdullahi; Rayyanu Abdul and others now at large, between February and April 2019 at Takum and Ibi, Taraba State, within the jurisdiction of this court, while acting in concert, conspired together to commit felony, to wit: acts of terrorism, by attacking and kidnapping one Usman Garba, aka Mayo, at his filling station in Takum, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 17 of the Terrorism (Prevention) Amendment Act 2013.”
They were also accused of possessing six AK-47 rifles and dealing in prohibited firearms contrary to section 27 (1)(a)(I) and (1)(b)(iii) of the firearms act.