BY UTHMAN BABA-SIRAJDEEN
The Niger State Command of the Department of State Service (DSS) has secured the Conviction of one Usman Abubakar by the Minna Chief Magistrate court Number One.
He was arraigned by the operatives of the secret security agency for being in illegal possession of an automatic pump action gun and four cartridges
The defendant was brought to the court amidst tight security operatives of the DSS and arraigned by the head of the legal unit of the command Mallam Abdulmalik Sani a legal practitioner.
According to the First Information Report made available in court by the head of the legal unit and obtained by our reporter, disclosed that defendant was arraigned on one count charge of been in possession of magnum pump action rifles without lawful authority.
The charge sheet marked MN/02/2024 read in part: ” That you Usman Abubakar, adult, male, BORORO of Beji town, in Bosso Local Government Area of Niger State, that on 12th December,2023 at Paiko within the Jurisdiction of this court, committed a Criminal act to wit: you had in your possession without lawful authority two (2) magnum pump action rifles with registration numbers 18-0223 and 18-0254 respectively contrary to section 9 (1) and (2) and punishable under section 27 (I) (b) (111) of the firearms Act Cap F28″.
The legal officer told the court that the defendant was arrested by a joint patrol teams along Minna Paiko road with the gun concealed in a bag along with his brother who is now on the run.
He further told the court that the defendant had confessed during interrogation that he bought the gun from Toto in Nasarawa state at the rate of Six hundred thousand naira (N600,000) for self defense as a result of the incessant armed banditry attacks on their Community.
” He was arrested for being in possession of the gun without any authority which is an illegal for him to be in possession of the gun without authority” the legal officer told the court.
The Presiding Chief Magistrate Hajiya Imma Mohammed after taken the plea of the defendant he pleaded for leniency that he bought the gun to defend himself as a result of the activities of armed bandits begging the court to temper justice with Mercy.
At this point she then convicted him and reserved the sentence till the 17th of January for the Judgement.
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Member representing Bosso constituency, Niger State House of Assembly