A High Court judge in Jos, Justice Rifkatu, has warned an accused person, Tasiu Mohammed, 21, against threatening witnesses testifying against him in court.



The Judge gave the warning when Mohammed was caught making gestures which means he would slash the throats of the witnesses.



The police, officials of the court and witnesses, who understood the threats, drew the attention of the judge.



“You are only lucky that the prosecuting counsel did not pray the court to convict you (accused) for contempt, otherwise I would have descended on you.



“I will only warn you to desist from threatening witnesses in the court. If you repeat it, I will start by sentencing you to 14 strokes of the cane,” the judge said.



Mohammed with two others named Saidu Mohammed, 19, and Umar Shehu 23, were charged with criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide, robbery and possession of firearms.



Mr. O.S. Osho, the police prosecutor, told the court that the accused persons committed the crime on Sept. 23, 2016 at Clark Quarters, Bukuru in Jos. He further added that the accused made a confessional statement that they killed a man would needed their help.



“The accused persons confessed that the deceased, who came into Jos at about 7 p.m. on the said date, approached them to direct him to where he could lodge, before proceeding on his journey the next day.



“The accused persons said that they promised to help, but on realising that the stranger had money on him, they misled him to an uncompleted building where they killed him.



“They further said that after killing him, they dumped his body in a well in the uncompleted building, and made away with his money”.







Osho said a woman who stays in the same quarters, reported the matter to the community head after she heard screams coming from the building, and she rushed to check


The prosecutor said:



“The accused persons also told the police that they ran out of the building on sighting the woman, but that she went in and saw blood everywhere.



“The curious woman checked further and saw the corpse of the unknown man dumped in a well in the building”.



Osho made it known to the court that the woman recognised the accused persons, while they were running from the scene.



The prosecutor said “the identity of the deceased was still unknown ” as no form of identification was found on him.



During the arraignment, however, the prosecutor alleged that Tasiu Mohammed, the first accused, had committed the same crime in 2014, when he was 18 years old.



Osho further added that Mohammed escaped from a juvenile home after he was convicted for murder as a juvenile.



He said Mohammed relocated to Abuja but returned to Jos and committed the same crime.



The prosecutor referring to the provision of section 221 of the Penal Code said such act was punishable with death, on conviction.

http://www.eyereport.com.ng/man-threatens-to-kill-witnesses-in-court/#sthash.kkr6fD7x.dpuf

This guy must be a soldier!