Wadume was convicted by Justice Nyako for unlawfully dealing in prohibited firearms and escaping from prison custody.
By Ishaya Ibrahim, News Editor
Notorious kidnap kingpin, Hamisu Bala, also known as Wadume, has been slammed seven years in jail by a Federal High Court in Abuja.
Justice Binta Nyako convicted Wadume of two of the 13-count charges against him, according to reporting by Daily Trust.
The court also convicted Aliyu Dadje, a police inspector, who was the station officer at the police headquarters at Ibi Local Government Area of Taraba State, to three years’ imprisonment for tampering with the record to conceal a crime.
Beside Wadume and Dadje, others charged with them are Auwalu Bala (aka Omo Razor), Uba Bala (aka Uba Delu), Bashir Waziri (aka Baba Runs), Zubairu Abdullahi (aka Basho) and Rayyanu Abdul.
The judge also sentenced Delu, Abdullahi, and Abdul to seven years’ imprisonment, while she discharged and acquitted Omo Razor and Baba Runs, for want of evidence.
Justice Nyako’s judgement was delivered on July 22, and made available to journalists on Sunday.
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Wadume and others were arraigned by the Attorney General of the Federation with charges of kidnapping, murder, terrorism and illegal arms.
The charges followed the killing of three police officers and two civillians on August 6, 2019 by some soldiers.
The policemen, who were from the Intelligence Response Team, Abuja, had arrested Wadume at Ibi before they were ambushed on the road by military men
Wadume was convicted by the trial judge for unlawfully dealing in prohibited firearms and for escaping from prison custody.
The Office of the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice had earlier brought the criminal prosecution before Justice Binta Nyako of a Federal High Court in Abuja.
After the trial lasted for three years, Nyako convicted Wadume on counts two and 10 of the 13-count charge brought against him and six others.