Published: Sunday, 13 Jul 2008
The Supreme Court has ordered that a trigger-happy policeman, Alhassan Mai Yaki, who shot a security man at a Texaco Petrol Station, at Potiskum, Yobe State should be hanged.
Habu Usman was shot in the head on June 7, 2004.
Yaki shot Usman simply because he (Usman) told him not to urinate near the filling station where he worked as a guard.
In a unanimous judgement delivered last Friday, the apex court said that Yaki deserved to be killed for causing the death of another man for no justifiable cause.
The convict was a policeman who was escorting a bus from Lagos to Maiduguri, Borno State.
Justice Pius Aderemi, who delivered the lead judgement, while reviewing the circumstances that led to the case, stated that the bus in which Yaki was an escort, got to Potiskum, at about 7.20 hours.
The bus parked to allow the passengers to ease themselves. But a dispute arose on whether the passengers should be allowed to urinate near the filling station.
The deceased was said to have told the passengers not to urinate near the station. An argument ensued in which Yaki shot the petrol station guard.
The other escort in the bus immediately shot into the air to scare away people, while the passengers ran into the bus, and they all immediately left in the bus, leaving the dead body there."
Yaki was later charged at a Yobe State High Court where a fuel dealer, one Abdullahi Hassan, testified to the fact that it was Yaki who shot Usman.
The policeman was convicted by the trial court. He consequently appealed to the Court of Appeal in Jos. His appeal was dismissed necessitating a further appeal to the Supreme Court.
Justice Aderemi, while dismissing the appeal, held that the prosecution had proved that it was Yaki who caused the death of the petrol station guard by shooting him in the head and that he intentionally did so.
He also rejected the defence of accidental discharge put forward by the convicted policeman.
He said, "In his evidence before the trial court, the appellant never admitted that he pulled the trigger of his rifle and consequently shot the head of the deceased.
"In his statement to the police, he said he suddenly heard a gun shot. He would not know who released the gun shot. Of course, he never admitted he shot the deceased.
"But in his second statement, he said in the course of his trying to rescue Sgt. Bello (the second escort) he accidentally touched the trigger of Bello's rifle."

this should serve as a deterrent to other policemen.Nobody is above the Law

What? No source? Are you newborn child on this forum?

what ever happen to putting the dude in jail.

SeanT21:

what ever happen to putting the dude in jail.

Because he would be out sooner than you could blink, and probably shoot a dozen more people in the head for no apparent reason.  He who kills by the sword. . .

Most of these morons masquerading as 'police' are a bunch of misfits who have no idea how to deal with the public. They believe they can shoot you at any given time without provocation. Now, when they finally realize they'd get the noose on their neck for going on the usual shooting spree, they will learn the keep their fingers away from the trigger when dealing with civilians.

He asked for it.

serves him right

the right to have a gun doesnt mean the right to take someone's life unnecessarily!

die mofo!!