By Jennifer Ugwueke
A Magistrate’s Court in Yola on Thursday remanded Aminu Yar’Adua, 36, son of late former President Umaru Yar’Adua, in prison for allegedly killing four people in an auto crash in Yola, Adamawa State.
Yar’Adua, a student of the American University of Nigeria, Yola, was charged to Court for allegedly causing death by dangerous driving on 23 June, 2021.
According to the Police First Information Report tendered in court by the prosecutor, Insp. Zakka Musa, the accused had, while driving along Yola bye-pass on 23 June, 2021 , ran over six people as a result of overspeeding.
The court heard that four of the victims were killed and the other two were injured in the accident, with the victims all hailing from Sabon Pegi, Yola South Local Government Area of teh state.
“Those that died in the accident were identified as: Aisha Umar (30), Aisha Mamadu (32), Suleiman Abubakar (2) and Jummai Abubakar (30); while Rejoice Annu (28) and Hajara Aliyu (27) sustained injuries,” according to the FIR.
The prosecuting officer told the court that the relatives of late Aisha Umar, Suleiman Abubakar and Jummai Abubakar had demanded the sum of N15m from the defendant as compensation.
But, when the FIR was read to the defendant as prayed by the prosecutor, he denied committing the offence, describing the allegation as untrue.
At that point, the prosecutor pleaded with the court to adjourn the matter, to enable him duplicate the case file and forward same to the Department of Public Prosecutions for legal advice.
The Magistrate, Jummai Ibrahim, granted the prosecution’s request and adjourned the matter to 19th August, 2021, for further mention, and ordered that the ex-president’s son be remanded in prison custody until then.