Man remanded for Kogi’s TAO FM bomb attack

A Lokoja Chief Magistrate’s Court on Friday ordered the remand of a middle-aged man, Hayatudeen Amoto, in prison for allegedly bombing TAO 109 FM Station, Kuroko, Okene in April, 2015.

The Chief Magistrate, Alhassan Husaini, said the 2015 bombing of the FM Station in which four staff of the organisation lost their lives was heinous.

He said, “I find in the originating process upon which cognisance of this case is taken that one of the alleged offences is culpable homicide, contrary to Section 221 of the Penal Code Law.

“This offence is by no means a heinous crime which attracts upon conviction, the highest punishment known in criminal adjudication. For this singular reason including those I had earlier mentioned, I am not convinced that he would spring up for his trial.

“In consequence, it is hereby ordered that the accused be remanded at the Federal Prisons, Koton-Karfe. Meanwhile, the case is adjourned to Feb. 22, for further mention.”

Earlier, the prosecuting counsel, Mohammed Abaji, said the accused and one Yusuf Abdulqudus, who is currently at large masterminded the bombing.

Abaji said that the duo had planned to bomb the FM Station again and sent a text message to the station during a call-in programme through the station’s phone number.

He said, “We are coming to bomb the office by 4:00p.m.”

The prosecution said that the threat through the text message from the Amoto’s phone number 09068487387 was promptly reported to the State Security Service who traced the number and subsequently arrested him.

The prosecution said the case was particularly heinous as the April 27, 2015 bombing of the station claimed the lives of Sadiq Salami, Abdullahi Suleiman, Sufiyan Abu and Idris Onivehu Salawu.

He prayed the court to take cognisance of the offences of criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide and attempted culpable homicide, contrary to Sections 97(1), 221 and 229 of the Penal Code.

Counsel to the accused, Habib Abbas, had earlier made oral application for the bail of the accused, but the court refused the oral application.

Source: Today.ng