Defendant poisoned 19 chickens belonging to his landlady – IPO alleged
An Investigating Police Officer, Insp Salome Peter told a Grade I Area Court, Kubwa that she took photographs of the 19 chickens allegedly poisoned by a 62-year-old engineer, Lateef Agbaje.
The police charged Agbaje with mischief by killing an animal which he pleaded not guilty to.
Peter made the allegation while being led in evidence by the Prosecution Counsel, John Akpa.
She said the case was reported at the Dutse Alhaji Police Station by the complainant and landlady to the defendant, Mrs Ukanwa Goodness on May 17, 2021.
“The complainant said the defendant poisoned her 19 chickens and i visited the scene of crime and recovered the dead chickens and took their photographs with my cellphone.
” I took the pictures considering that they are perishable exhibits and i printed the pictures at the office through a HP desktop computer for record purpose.
” The complainant and defendant recorded their statements voluntarily and signed, ” she said.
Peter said during police investigations the defendant said he saw a rat in the compound and he mixed Indocin capsules and salt to kill it.
She alleged that the defendant said that his landlady’s chickens fed on the mixture meant for the rats.
The statement of the defendant was presented and admitted as exhibit in court but while the printed pictures of the dead chickens were presented, the defence counsel, Yusuf Jibril objected to it.
Jibril cited Section 83 subsection 3 of the evidence act saying that the prosecution counsel provided him with all the proof of evidence in the case earlier, excluding the pictures.
He told the court that he was served the pictures same morning of the day’s proceedings adding that they are irrelevant to the case.
In response, the prosecution counsel cited Section 379 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) which allows the prosecution to file additional proof of evidence before judgment is given.
“The document is very relevant in the case because the witness captured the incident in the course of her investigation, ” Okpa said.
The defence counsel however urged the court to discountenace the prosecution counsel’s submission saying that the said section applies to the High Courts.
The judge Muhammad Adamu adjourned the case until Oct.19 for ruling.(NAN)
