4 men arraigned for murdering pastor, abducting daughter in 2020
Four men in Adamawa State have been recognized to have fatally shot a pastor in an endeavour to kidnap him.
The men are said to have gone on to kidnap a daughter of the deceased and freed her only after N100,000 was paid as ransom by the bereaved family.
The four men allegedly murdered Pastor Ishaya Ngiki of Mararaba Buki in Gombi Local Government Area and abducted his 13-year-old daughter, Solomi Ishaya.
Solomi was said to have spent two days in the den of the suspected kidnappers until N100, 000, was paid as ransom for her freedom.
The four, now before a court in the state capital, Yola, are Haruna Yaro, 32 years old; Kachalla Buba Sule, 26; Sule Haro, 29; and Abubakar Ahmadu, 23.
The defendants who were arraigned before Justice Fatima Tafida-led High Court sitting in Yola, face the charge of ‘Criminal Conspiracy to Commit Kidnapping and Culpable Homicide’.
According to the particulars of the complaint, the incident occurred far back on May 8, 2020, when the defendants conspired and invaded the house of the deceased.
The complaint sheet added that the accused persons had, while attempting to abduct the pastor, opened fire on him as he tried to resist the armed invaders, which resulted in his death as certified by a medical doctor in Gombi LGA.
Our correspondent also gathered that the suspects had armed themselves with an AK-47 rifle, two Dane guns, cutlasses, sticks and knives during their deadly operation.
In his extra-judicial confessional statement, Kachalla Buba said he participated in the operation but was not given anything out of the N100, 000 they collected before releasing Solomi.
On his part, Abubakar Ahmadu said the operation which claimed the life of the pastor was the third he participated in.
The four, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge that the prosecution lodged against them and the court adjourned the matter to the end of March to allow the prosecution time to gather witnesses.
