Four men have been ordered to be held on remand after a magistrates’ court in Makurdi, Benue State, ruled that a hunchback man was allegedly dismembered.
The police accused Christopher Shimayina, a member of the Health Department, Gwer West Local Government, Mathew Nono, Henry Bee, and Vincent Shayenge of criminal conspiracy, kidnapping, culpable homicide, and illegal possession of firearms.
Nono, Bee, Shayenge, and Shimaya’s plea was rejected by Magistrate Kadoom Gbasha due to lack of jurisdiction.
They were to be kept in the Federal Maximum Correctional Center Makurdi, per Gbasha’s order. For further consideration, she postponed the matter until May 25, 2023.
Earlier, Police Prosecutor Insp. Joshua Anyuabagu informed the court that the case was transferred from the Naka Divisional Headquarters to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Makurdi, via letter No. AR:3100; BNS; NK; VOL. Dated March 31, 1/220.
Anyuabagu reported that on March 21, while on a surveillance patrol at the Naka Earth Dam, a group of detectives from the Naka Police Station led by Inspector Suleiman Mumini noticed a black bag by the dam’s banks.
He claimed that when the investigators pulled the sack from the water, they found a hunchback man’s dismembered corpse inside.
He claimed that Msuega Ababa of Tse-Akaa Vengav, Avihijime Council Ward of Gwer West LGA was the victim who had been later identified by his older brother, John Ababa, as the deceased.
Anyuabagu added that Bee had found the deceased’s cell phone and that he had taken the investigators to Shimayina’s house, a Primary Health Care Naka employee who worked at the residence where the deceased was murdered.
Additionally, he claimed that Shimayina had yielded three live rounds of ammunition, a locally made pistol, two white candles, two small white eggs, two white handkerchiefs, and more.
He claimed that the offense violates Sections 97 and 222 of the Penal Code of Benue State Law of 2004, Section 11(2) of the Abduction, Hostage Taking, Kidnapping, Secret Cut and Similar Prohibition Law of Benue State of 2017, and Section 3(1) of the Robbery and Fire Arms Special Provision Act of 2004.
He requested more time to finish the investigation and said it was still in progress.
