26th March, 2024
By Onyeje Abutu-Joel
A Makurdi Chief Magistrates’ Court, on Tuesday, ordered the remand of a 47-year old farmer, Simon Ikyausu, in Makurdi correctional centre for allegedly killing one Mrs Hembadoon James on her farmland.
Ikyausu, who resides in Ikpayongo in Gwer-East Local Government Area of Benue, was charged with criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide and kidnapping.
The Chief Magistrate, Mr Kelvin Mbanongun, did not, however, take his plea for want of jurisdiction.
Mbanongun adjourned the matter till July 3 for further mention.
Earlier, the Prosecution Counsel, Insp. Jonah Uletu, told the court that the case was transferred from the Divisional Police Headquarters, Aliade, to the State CID, Makurdi on March 19 via a letter.
Uletu said that the letter stated that on March 10, the daughter of the deceased, one Comfort, reported at Aliade police station that her mother and her 10-year-old child, Rejoice Erick, were missing.
Comfort told the police that her mother and the child went to their farmland at Apir for farm work on March 1 but never returned home.
She explained that she conducted a search for them for four days by daily going to that particular farmland but that her efforts proved abortive.
The complainant stated that on March 9, the defendant, who is her neighbour, asked her to follow him to that same farmland to show her something, to which she agreed.
She said that on getting to the farm, the defendant showed her her mother’s corpse covered with grasses and already decomposing but that the little child could still not be found.
The complainant informed the police that she suspected that the defendant had conspired with others to kill her mother and abducted the child.
The prosecutor said that the defendant was arrested during police investigation for committing the offence, with others still at large.
Uletu said that the offences contravened Sections 97, 222 and 274 of the Penal Code, Laws of Benue, 2004.