One Habibu Abdu, has been beaten to death in Azare, the headquarters of Katagum Local Government Area of Bauchi State by seven for alleged homosexuality. The police arraigned the seven-man-gang- killer before a Bauchi State High Court.
The accused, whose case was first brought to court in August,2013, were arraigned on a two- count charge of criminal conspiracy and culpable homicide, contrary to Sections 96 and 221 of the Penal Code.
They, however, denied beating the deceased to death or causing his death.
On resumption of the case on Wednesday, the prosecution counsel, Mr Saminu Adamu Gumba, presented three witnesses to testify for the state against the accused.
Giving the account of what happened on the day of the death of the deceased, the first prosecution witness, Abubakar Awwalu, told the court that he was informed by one of the accused that there was an homosexual in his area, adding that he (the accused) further told him that they were going to deal with the homosexual.
Awwalu added he was persuaded to come along to the scene where the suspected homosexual would be dealt with.
He stated that unknown to him, the alleged homosexual was his friend, adding that he saw four of the accused beating the said Abdu, which he said, was witnessed by a large crowd before he left the scene helplessly as he could not save his friend.
The second prosecution witness, Buhari Ja'afar, stated that he saw people beating the deceased amidst a large crowd of spectators, adding, however, that it was only the first accused that he could identify.
In his own account while testifying for the state, the brother of the alleged homosexual, Ashafa Abdu, told the court that some people came to their house to inform him that his brother was beaten and taken to the hospital, adding that on reaching the hospital, he was given a prescription form to get some drugs for the treatment of the deceased.
According to him, he was on his way to buy the drugs when he was called back only to see the corpse of his brother, which the police took its photograph. He said that the corpse was released for burial the
following day. The three prosecution witnesses were later crossed examined by the counsel for the accused, Mr Idris Jibo, after which the presiding judge, Justice Aliyu Baba Usman, adjourned the case to December 5, 2013 for further hearing.(Tribune)
