AISHA ABUBAKAR
A dismissed Police Inspector of the Niger State Police Command,
Yahaya Mohammed, has been sentenced by the Chief Magistrate Court sitting in Minna, to two years imprisonment for theft and sale of AK 47 magazine and ammunition to suspected armed bandits in the state.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that the dismissed officer, Mohammed, was said to have conspired with one Ndaman Gana, who is also an officer in-charge of the state Police Command’s armoury department to carry out the deal.
He was arraigned on two counts of charges which bordered on Criminal Conspiracy and theft of AK 47 magazine and unlawful dealing in the sale of AK 47 magazine and ammunition.
The Police Prosecutor, DSP Ahmed Saidu, had told the Court that the two count charges contravened Sections 97,(2), 288 (l) of the penal code and Section 27 (6) (111) act 28 law 2004.
The Police First Information Report (FIR), presented in Court disclosed that credible information from a reliable source within the Department of State Service (DSS) attached to Rafi Local Government Area, Kagara, Niger State, indicated that an unknown individual transported goods suspected to be weapon inside a ‘Ghana must go bag’ to Kagara Motor Park.
However, Chief Magistrate Hajiya Fati Umar Hassan conveyed her disappointment with the conduct of the convict, particularly highlighting his role as a Police officer entrusted with the responsibility of safeguarding the lives and property of citizens.
She said, “It is quite unfortunate that as a Police officer saddled with the responsibilities of protecting the lives and property of the citizens, you now engage in selling ammunition to armed bandits that are terrorising and killing innocent citizens across the country”.
“I will be lenient with you while convicting you with an option of fine as a result of the contagious disease, especially with the medical report attached to the first Information report.
If not because of the disease, I would have convicted you without an option of fine, but for other inmates not to be infected with the disease, you are hereby sentenced to two years imprisonment with an option of N100,000 fine.”