Axe Falls On Guard Who Allegedly Poisoned Neighbour’s Goats, Sheep

A 40-year-old guard, Adamu Yahaya, was on Friday docked in a Life Camp Chief Magistrates’ Court, Abuja, for allegedly poisoning his neighbour’s goats and sheep.

The police charged Yahaya, who lives in Idu Industrial Area, Abuja, with mischief, criminal intimidation and voluntarily causing hurt without provocation

The prosecution counsel, Mrs Charity Nwachukwu, told the court that the complainants, Kingsley Ayawa and Maywell Kanu, both of Tasha I Gwagwa Abuja reported the matter at the Karmo Police station on May 9.

Nwachukwu said that the defendant threatened to kill the goats and sheep if they continued to eat the pepper he planted on his farm.

She told the court that on May 8, the defendant killed the complainant’s 20 goats and three sheep worth N2.7 million.

Nwachukwu told the court that the defendant caused a wrongful loss to the complainants.

She said when the complainants confronted the defendant, he attacked them with a cutlass and in the process, inflicted injury on Ayawa’s hand.

The prosecutor said that during police investigation the defendant made a confessional statement.

Nwachukwu said the offence contravened the provisions of sections 330, 397, and 246 of the Penal Code.

The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The prosecutor prayed the court to grant her a date to open her case against the defendant.

The defendant’s counsel, Mrs Lillian Ibrahim, made an oral application for the defendant’s bail citing Section 36 (5) of the1999 constitution and Section 165 (1), 158, 162, of Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015.

Ibrahim told the court that the parties are neighbours and bail is at the discretion of the court, praying the court to grant the defendant bail in the most liberal terms.

She submitted in addition that the defendant would not jump bail and that he was on police administrative bail.

The Magistrate, Musa Jobbo, admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N500,000 with a surety in like sum.

Jobbo ordered that the surety must reside within the court’s jurisdiction and produce reliable means of identification.

The magistrate adjourned the matter until July 3 for hearing.

(NAN)