By Moh Bello Habib, Zaria
Kaduna State High Court sitting Dogarawa Zaria presided over by Justice Abdulkadir Sabo Mahmud has admitted as evidence a video clip of an interview between Idris Mustapha aka Idi Mai-Zomo) a suspected kidnapper and Aminiya Newspaper reporter, Aliyu Babankarfi.
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Our Correspondent reports that the clip was recorded sometime in January 2021showing the defendant making incriminating statements about his involvement in the kidnapping of prominent people in Zaria.
At the resumed hearing of the case, Mrs Lucia Mamman, the prosecution counsel tendered the video clip through the reporter Alhaji Aliyu Babankarfi who was testifying as prosecution witness number four.
Babankarfi told the court that sometime in Jan. 2021 he went to Danmagaji Divisional Police Headquarters, Zaria alongside other reporters where they stumbled on a story of arrests made by the Police.
He added that after a preliminary request, the police allowed the reporters to interview the suspects including the defendant (Idris Mustapha), adding that the suspects told them what they did and how they committed the offence(s)
Babankarfi told the court that he used his mobile phone to make a video coverage while interviewing the suspects and then filed the report to his employers for publication.
The reporter told the court that the Kaduna State Ministry of Justice Applied to Media Trust his employers requesting for the video clip which they described as vital to the prosecution of their case.
The prosecution counsel, Mamman then applied for the video to be played and the same to be admitted as evidence having complied with the provisions of Section 84 of the Evidence Act.
Mr Mohammed Baba, defense counsel objected to the application on the ground that the disc containing the clip did not indicate where it emanated.
However, after heated arguments by the respective counsels, the Presiding grants the application for playing the video clip and also admitted it the and its accompanying certificate of compliance as evidence.
The Court marked the clip as exhibit P1 and certificate of compliance was marked as exhibit P2 and adjourned the matter until Jan. 29 for continuation of hearing.
It could be recalled that the defendants Isah Ibrahim (now at large) and Idris Mustapha were standing trial on two count charge which were hinged on kidnapping
The defendants were accused of kidnapping Ibrahim Yakubu, Yusha’u Sani, Abdullahi Mohammed-Awwal and Aisha Mohammed Awwal residents of Nagoyi area of Zaria Local Government in Kaduna State on January 28, 2021.
The defendants were also accused of collecting N14m ransom before the release of the victims.
The offence was contravened sections 246 (c) and 247 (1) of Kaduna State Penal Code Law No. 5 of 2017.
