Lawyer’s petition narrates how hoodlums beat up Katcha LG Chairman to pulp over debt in Niger

The Police Authority in Minna, Niger State capital have arrested eight hoodlums that assaulted the Chairman of Katcha Local Government Council, Alhaji Danlami Abdullahi Saku.

The chairman was beaten to pulp by the miscreants during the last week Eid-kabir celebration, claiming that the council chairman was said to have been Indebted to their father to the tune of N1,360,000 million which he refused to pay.

As a result they were instructed by their father to collect the money from the council chairman which resulted to exchange of hot words leading to assault.

At the end of it the hoodlum pounced on the Chairman and beat him to a state of coma which he was rushed to a hospital as a result of the injuries he sustained.

Already eight of the hoodlums and their father are currently in detention at the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) of the Niger State Police Command headquarters in Minna.

Those in police net, according, to the legal practitioner, included Alhaji Yanda Alhaji Kasim (their father), Liman Man Hausa Gambo Yako, and Dantenin Yasheshi.

Others are Suleiman Yasheshi, Yanda Yashshi, Yabagi Bakotsu Alhaji Babakalema and Batman Yasheshi.

Their arrest was sequel to the petition forwarded to the Commissioner of Police Niger state, CP Ebenezer Shawulu Danmaman by his lawyer Barrister Mohammed Tsado Mohammed.

Tsado Mohammed in his petition alleged that on the 16th of June 2024, “which happened to be the Sallah day, our client was at home, when the hoodlums met him on the instruction of Alhaji Yanda Alhaji Kasim.

“That they came to inform our client that they came to collect the sum of N1,360,000 (One million three hundred and sixty- thousand Naira only) belonging to Alhaji Yanda Alhaji Kasim.”

The petitioner further claimed that the council chairman, told them (the hoodlums) the said money was a debt incurred on behalf of Katcha Local Government during the distribution of palliative by the palliative committee.

However the sum of N1,350,000 (One million, three hundred and fifty thousand naira only) is ready out of the 1,360,000 (one million three hundred and sixty-thousand naira) only.

Speaking further Tsado stated that the council Chairman in the presence of the hoolums put a called to his Director of Finance and Supply (DFS), to transfer the money to the account of the said Alhaji Yanda.

The legal practitioner further alleged that the hoodlums bundled the Chairman into his “own car, of which he requested them to allow him drive the car and they reluctantly agreed but subject to their directions and preferred route to Gadza village where their father was awaiting them”.

Sensing that the hoodlums were up to some interior motives the council Chairman asked two of his guest who paid him a Sallah homage, the Village head of Ekugi and Man Ndaman Mujahidu to get into his car and he turned on the ignition and moved while the hoodlums were on bikes ” tele-guiding our client’s movement and following him bumper- to- bumper until our client stopped seven metres away from Gadza village where he was communicating on how the money would be transferred but the network was misbehaving”.

He also claimed that his client requested the hoodlums to move backward for better network reception but one of the hoodlums by name Liman Manhausa came down from his bike and “jacked the council chairman from his car and told him that they are not moving anywhere until he pay the money”.

He stated that it was at that spot the chairman was able to transfer the sum of N1,350,000 (One million three hundred and fifty thousand naira) to the Access Bank account of Alhaji Yanda leaving the balance of N10,000 (Ten thousand naira to Alhaji Yanda’s Access Bank account while the hoodlums were continuously hitting our client’s car.

While discussing with the village head the efforts of his Director of Finance and Supply (DFS) amidst troublesome network problem to transfer the said money to his account, before he could finish his explanation, Alhaji Yanda said in Hausa “Ku Kasheshi” meaning ” you should kill him”.

On the instruction of their father the petitioner, alleged that one of the hoodlums jacked up the chairman and Yabagi Bakotsu and Liman Man Hausa ran quickly to a place where stone axes were kept and began to distribute them to the above mentioned thugs who used them to hit “to our client on his head and joints of his body continuously till our client slumped and went unconscious.”