Daji Sani in Yola
Aminu Yar’Adua, son of late General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, has been released from Yola Prison following out-of-court settlement with families of the victims who were crushed in an auto crash.
A Magistrate’s Court in Yola had on Thursday remanded Aminu Yar’Adua, 36, Son of late Chief of General Staff, Supreme Headquarters, in prison for allegedly killing four people in an auto crash in Yola.
Yar’Adua of the American University of Nigeria (AUN) Yola, was charged to court for allegedly causing death by dangerous driving on 23 June, 2021.
According to the police First Information Report (FIR) tendered in court by the prosecutor, Insp. Zakka Musa, the accused had, while driving along Yola bye pass on 23 June, 2021, crushed six people as a result of over speeding.
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.
”Those who 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,” the FIR states.
The prosecuting officer told the court that the relatives of the late Aisha Umar, Suleiman Abubakar, and Jummai Abubakar had demanded the sum of N15 million 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 to duplicate the case file and forward it to the Department of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for legal advice.
The Magistrate, Jummai Ibrahim granted the prosecution’s request and adjourned the matter to August 19, 2021, for further mention, and ordered that the late general’s son be remanded in prison custody until then.
However, it was gathered from prison and court sources that Yar’Adua was released after a settlement between his family and the families of the four people killed in the accident.
A close relative of one of the deceased women, Aisha Umar, who pleaded anonymity while speaking to journalists, said they were herded to the magistrate court where they were asked to leave the matter to God.
“We were taken to the premises of the court where we were asked to leave the matter to God. And since then we obliged and left the matter,” the family source said amidst sobs.
On whether the family got any form of compensation since they had purportedly sought out-of-court settlement, the source said, “we were not given a penny. If there is any arrangement, we were not aware of it as a family,” the source said.
But a source close to Aminu Yar’Adua insisted that N15 million exchanged hands between Yar’Adua family and the families of the deceased people.
“I can confidently tell you that there was a settlement between Yar’Adua family and the families of the victims.
“We were even shocked that the relatives of the Christian victim said they had left the matter while the families of the Muslim victims said they must be compensated.
“Yar’Adua has been released since after the out-of-court settlement and he has already left for Katsina to spend his break,” the source said.
Also speaking, a senior staff of the Magistrate Court said he was aware of the out-of-court settlement but said, “I don’t know the terms of the settlement.”
“I’m aware of the out-of-court settlement between the parties but I’m not in the picture of the terms of settlement,” he said.
At the time of sending this report, efforts made to contact, the Magistrate handling the case on whether she was aware of the settlement between the Yar’Adua family and the families of the deceased people were fruitless.
