A pro-democracy non-governmental organization, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, has condemned the Kano State government for nullifying the prosecution of the suspected killers of Mrs. Bridget Agbahime, a 74-year-old Christian woman in Kano State.
The victim, who hailed from Imo State was murdered by a Muslim mob on a flimsy allegation of blasphemy on June 2, 2016, at Kofar Wambai market for alleged blasphemy.
Emmanuel Onwubiko, national coordinator of the association and Zainab Yusuf, its national director of media in a statement, also condemned the Nigeria Police Force, Kano State Command for colluding to bungle the prosecution of the suspected killers of this woman.
“The illogical, unconstitutional and compromised decision of the Kano State Attorney General to terminate the prosecution amounted to directly rewarding the riotous and unruly armed street urchins who allegedly decapitated this innocent Igbo woman only because she is of a different ethno-religious affiliation but doing legitimate trading in Kano State,” the HURIWA said in the statement.
Citing Section 14(2) (b) of the Nigerian Constitution which specifies that ‘the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government’, the rights group has therefore asked both governor of Kano State, Dr. Ganduje and President Muhammadu Buhari to direct the Commissioner of Police in Kano State and the Inspector General of Police, Alhaji Ibrahim Kpodum Idris to rapidly re-file the matter in a proper court system so that the killers of this Nigerian citizen are charged and punished for the unprovoked murder of the woman.
The rights group warned that the refusal of government of Kano and the Nigerian State to punish the killers promptly could spark off inter-ethnic and inter-religious uprising and reprisals since the person murdered was a human being with blood flowing in her veins “before her precious life was terminated by unchained brutes in Kano State who are now offered Kano State government’s reward for this gruesome hate crime.”
Besides, HURIWA has tasked the national leadership of both the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Igbo socio-cultural group Ohaneze-Ndigbo to mount coordinated pressures to compel both the Kano State and Federal Government to “stop this clear injustice about to be perpetrated against the family of the assassinated Mrs. Bridget Agbahime who was murdered in broad daylight by armed Islamic fanatics on the streets of Kano State.
“We are by this statement to the media challenging the political leaders of the South-east and specifically the governor of Imo State, Mr. Rochas Okorocha to wake up from his slumber and seek for redress for the family of this Imo State indigene killed in Kano State by street urchins in the full glare of the police.”
HURIWA recalled that on Thursday, a Kano Magistrate Court presided over by Jibrin Muhammad freed five suspected killers of the woman. Muhammad’s decision was based on the directive of the Kano State attorney-general and commissioner for justice.
The freed suspects, Dauda Ahmed, Abdulmumeen Mustafa, Zubairu Abubakar, Abdullahi Abubakar and Musa Abdullahi were charged with a four-count charge of allegedly inciting disturbance, culpable homicide, joint act and mischief. In his submission earlier, state counsel, Mr. Rabiu Yusuf, who represented the Attorney General of the state, told the court that they have no case against the suspects.
“The legal advice presented to the court, dated June 24, states that there is no case to answer as the suspects are all innocent, and orders the court to discharge all the suspects.”
But HURIWA has dismissed the above conclusion as wishy-washy and a highly compromised report aimed at providing soft-landing for alleged murderers. The rights group said the Kano State government is obliged to prosecute the killers of this Nigerian woman.
