ACCORDING to Umar Mamman Sanda, the commissioner of police for the state, Mohammed Damina’s case, in which he is accused of killing a friend, Adamu Babanta, is not outrightly a murder case.
Speaking with journalists yesterday at the police headquarters in Bauchi, the CP said the explanation was necessary in light of recent public narratives on the case.
According to the police chief, evidence showed that the suspect was the deceased’s next-door neighbor. He had called the daughter (of the deceased) and made plans to meet at a junction close to the ATBU gate in Yelwan Tudu market, Bauchi.
“The father of Khadija who is now deceased met them at that point, though they were not together inside the suspect’s vehicle or in any sort of compromised position, rather, she was standing with the motorcycle rider that brought her to the location.
“Then her father, now deceased, went straight to the occupant of the vehicle (Mohammed Damina), and both of them started exchanging heated words to a point where the father, now deceased, started shouting “barawo-barawo” (thief-thief). This was confirmed by an eyewitness: the daughter, her senior brother and the suspect. The implication of this was to attract mob action from bystanders and passersby.”
“In the process, the accused attempted to start his vehicle with the intention of zooming off and evading a public escalation of the situation, including possible mob action, but the deceased suddenly opened the vehicle’s door from the driver’s side.
“Notwithstanding, the accused engaged his vehicle and accelerated while the father of Khadija still clung to the car door. As a result, he was dragged to a certain distance, when he fell off, thereby hitting his head on the pavement of the road with impact.
“The victim was rushed to the ATBU Teaching Hospital, Bauchi for treatment, but was unfortunately confirmed dead by a medical doctor.”
The police chief called on media practitioners not to relent in their commitments by ensuring global best practice of ethical investigative journalism.
