Court grants bail to APC scribe Idde, 3 others over killing of Chinese miner, cop

The state High Court 2 sitting in Lafia, Nasarawa state yesterday granted bail to North Central zonal chairman of All Progressive Party (APC) Zakari Idde and three others over alleged involvement in the killing of Chinese Miner, a police escort and two natives in state.

The presiding judge of the court Justice John A Viko, who granted the bail over the failure of the prosecution counsel to appear in court nine months after filling the case, saying that the trail did not commenced within the proscribe period of three months provided by the Nigeria Constitution.

The prosecution counsel has failed to appear in three adjourned court sitting and was also absent yesterday in the court, but Justice Viko, exercise his discretion as granted under section 341 of Criminal Preceding Code (CPC) Law of Northern Nigeria and granted bail for the suspects. He adjourned to 11 November 2017 for reporting of the case.

Daily Trust recalled that last November the state commissioner of police, Abubakar Sadiq Bello arrested Idde and three other suspects in connection to the killings of Chinese national and three others in Alogani area of Nasarawa Eggon local government of the state.

CP Bello said that the suspects conspired and ambushed the staff of CEDAR-BAY Nigeria Ltd a mining company at Alogani Hill, Nasarawa Eggon. The suspects opened fire on the company’s truck that led to the death of four persons, Chinese Miner, two natives of Nasarawa Eggon and a police escort attached to the company and his rifle carted away”. Idde and three other suspects were arraigned in court last December 29 for allegedly involved in the killings of Chinese Miner and three others victims.