Nation
Mob kills Adamawa man, set body ablaze over witchcraft claim by drunk neighbour
Four men in Adamawa State have been remanded for their alleged role in the murder of Benson Timothy, a 57-year-old man, who was accused of witchcraft.
The defendants — Ezekiel Kumtha, 62; Awo Mesa, 42; Ishaku Sanda, 58; and Oga Dapila, 55 — were remanded on Tuesday following their arraignment before a Yola Chief Magistrate’s Court.
The four men were arraigned on counts of criminal conspiracy and culpable homicide, offences punishable under sections 60 and 192 of the Adamawa State Penal Code Law 2018.
Zakka Musa, the police prosecutor who gave details of the case, said the four men allegedly killed the victim and burnt his corpse.
Musa informed the court that the incident occurred on May 15, 2022, at Dumna Dutse in the Guyuk Local Government Area of the state.
“The defendants criminally conspired and attacked the deceased, Benson Timothy, on May 15, 2022, at the residence of one of the defendants, Ishaku Sanda,” he said.
The late Timothy, it was gathered, had a misunderstanding with a man at a beer palour and both men accuses each other of witchcraft.
Timothy, it was said, accused his neighbour of killing some of the prominent people in Dumna community, while he was also accused by the other man of terrorising the community with witchcraft and killing little children.
Following the revelation, some residents began to suspect the deceased as being responsible for the death of children in the community, which triggered the attack.
The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges at the hearing.
The prosecution asked the court to adjourn the case to enable the police to complete investigation, duplicate the case file and send same to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions for legal advice.
The presiding judge, Abdullahi Digil, granted the application and adjourned the case till July 2022.
He ordered the remand of the defendants in the Yola Custodial Centre.