Yakubu Busari
A State High Court sitting in Jos Division, presiding over by Justice S.P .Gang has adjourned to the 3rd of June 2022 for the opening of defense in the criminal trial of Shehu Jatau ,three others.
The matter which came up for the continuation of hearing the prosecution counsel closed his case with three IPOs whose testimony were recorded on the attack in Kurmi – Dampar bordered between Plateau and Taraba states.
The witness told the court about their involvement in the Shehu Jatau criminal activities which resulted to the death of many people in Wase LGA council of Plateau state.
They all acknowledged knowing Shehu Jatau as the village head of Kurmi , saying that the Former OPSH Commander, Major General Agundu instructed them to trail Shehu Jatau and arrest him.
Insp. Adamu an attaching with OPSH under SIB explains that he was partially a member of the amnesty committee introduced to curb the spread of small arms in the Plateau south senatorial district.
The team embarked on taking his last witnesses three SIB attached to Operation Safe Haven , Insp. Yahaya Adamu who is currently serving with Bauchi State and was in a court identified Shehu Jatau as the leader of Kurmi in Taraba -Dampar between Plateau state.
Insp.Adamu who is attached to Bauchi state police Command with the intelligence unit revealed that sometimes on the 1st June 2019 assigned duty by the Commander on the 30th December 2021 one Shehu Jatau was arrested along Abuja while the 4th accused person was still in police custody and the directive of OPSH General C.C.Agundu now Rtd gave a task to their component known as SIB which was led by CSP Elisha Achekabem to track and arrest one Shehu Jatau who was said to be heading a terrorist group within Wase LGA and he is resident in Kurmi Dampar a border between Taraba and Plateau state .
According to the witness, they were four in number in the team and we started the task after much work for about four months the team finally arrested the same failed Shehu Jatau on the 30th Oct 2019 at Abuja .
We arrested him with four other suspects in a Sharon bus in Blue colour with Reg .No NKR 500A and immensely when they were arrested we handed them over to the Defense Intelligence Agency in Abuja.
On the 31st Oct 2019, the team left for his hometown in Kurmi Dampar and they conducted search operations at his home, including military personnel, civil defense, and Mobile police while the SIB component by CSP Elisha and the following weapons were recovered,3 AK 47 ,3AG raffle,3 G3 ,one GPMG and one double-barrel including ammunitions 104 rounds of NATO special ammunition 111 mm special and Shehu Jatau photograph with two pictures.
We convey all these recovered items to the headquarters of STF in Jos , and were handed over to the military because we notice that those recovered Raffles belonged to them and were immediately front-loaded to the army headquarters for analysis leaving the few ammunition and photographs with the SIB unit.
The witness told the court that they registered the ammunitions and his photographs as exhibits No CER /STF/14/2019 that is all, My Lord the army in charge Major Bitrus told the items are still undergoing analysis.
The defense counsel said they are going to open their defense of proof of evidence that criminal case by Commander of Police against Shehu Jatau and 3 others standing trial of armed robbery, murder, and culpable homicide.
The Prosecutor E.A Enaebole told the court that the matter was slated for continuation of the hearing and taken the three witnesses when closed his prosecution.
However, the defense counsel didn’t oppose the motion looking as application was moved and adopted.
Prof. S.S Shikyil, SAN, the defendants counsel told the court that they arrangement their witnesses to testify which he requested one month file all processes .
