Bauchi State Police Commissioner, Umar Sanda, has said an ex-commissioner in the state, Mohammed Damina, who was arrested for killing his neighbour, Adamu Babanta, will be charged for manslaughter and not murder as widely speculated.
The CP briefed journalists on the case on Monday at the police headquarters in Bauchi, where he mentioned that the clarification was due to recent public narratives on the matter.
Damina, who holds the revered traditional title of Galadiman Dass, allegedly knocked down Adamu Babanta with his car and killed him in the process.
According to reports, the 68-year-old deceased had accused Damina of trying to woo his teenage daughter, Khadija, into a sexual relationship after Khadijat reported the former commissioner to her father.
The enraged father was then said to have hatched a plan with his daughter to “catch” Damina by asking her to meet up with the commissioner, but the confrontation ended in tragedy.
Giving an update on the matter, Bauchi State Police Commissioner, Sanda Mamman Umar, said a preliminary investigation showed that the victim, Adamu Babanta, 68 years old, died as a result of a fatal motor accident.
The Police boss said findings established that the suspect was a neighbour to the deceased and had called the daughter on phone and arranged to meet her at a junction near Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) gate, Yelwan Tudu market, Bauchi.
“The father of Khadija who is now deceased met them at that point, though they were not together inside the suspect’s vehicle or in any sort of compromised position, rather, she was standing with the motorcycle rider that brought her to the location.
“Then her father, now deceased, went straight to the occupant of the vehicle (Mohammed Damina), and both of them started exchanging heated words to a point where the father, now deceased, started shouting “barawo-barawo” (thief-thief).
“This was confirmed by an eyewitness: the daughter, her senior brother and the suspect. The implication of this was to attract mob action from bystanders and passersby.
“In the process, the accused attempted to start his vehicle with the intention of zooming off and evading a public escalation of the situation, including possible mob action, but the deceased suddenly opened the vehicle’s door from the driver’s side.
“Notwithstanding, the accused engaged his vehicle and accelerated while the father of Khadija still clung to the car door. As a result, he was dragged to a certain distance, when he fell off, thereby hitting his head on the pavement of the road with impact.
“The victim was rushed to the ATBU Teaching Hospital, Bauchi for treatment, but was unfortunately confirmed dead by a medical doctor.”
The Police chief called on media practitioners not to relent in their commitments by ensuring global best practice of ethical investigative journalism.