Late Jemimah Reuben
A 21 year old Barnabas Peter (aka Bary) was on Thursday, convicted and sentenced to death by hanging or by lethal injection for killing a 13-year old girl, Jemimah Reuben.
The Adamawa State High Court of Justice presided by Justice Ishaku Yakubu Haliru, sentenced the defendant who was found guilty of armed robbery and culpable homicide.
Justice Ishaku sentenced Bary, the 1st defendant in the case to death and discharged as well as acquitted the 2nd defendant and a 23 year old Augustine Anthony, a friend to the convict.
The judge declared that the prosecution had proved it case against the 1st defendant and now convict beyond reasonable doubt and consequently convicted him as charged.
According to him, the court is convinced that it was the convict who gruesomely murdered the deceased based on the 17 exhibits including extra judicial confessional statements which were tendered and admitted in evidence as well as the testimonies of 8 witnesses assembled by the prosecution.
On the 2nd defendant, Augustine Anthony, Justice Ishaku, held that the prosecution had failed to link him with the act and discharged as well ad acquitted him accordingly.
The duo who hail from Badarisa in Girei Local Government Area, were formerly arraigned before the court for allegedly killing Jemimah Reuben and robbing her of the sum N37, 000.
It all started on the 9th October, 2020 where the convict informed the 2nd defendant about an urgent need to raise money either by hook or crook to replace the one he had stolen at their family compound.
In their effort to raise money for that purpose, the convict and the defendant conspired to go and rob a female POS operator known as Zippora Zaro, of Badirisa on the 10th October, 2020 by putting drugs in her food to make her fall asleep.
The convict who was to carry out the act, arrived at the shop, where he met late Jemimah, daughter of the shop owner, who informed him that Zippora, had requested her to stay in the shop and since left for home due to stomach pain as a result of menstrual circle.
The convict who knew the deceased very well, gave her a chocolate which he had applied on the hard drugs. The girl collected and tasted it, but gave it back to him without anything falling asleep.
Having failed to make the girl fall asleep in order to rob her as planned, Barnabas returned to the residence of the 2nd defendant where he narrated what transpired and devised another method of robbing late Jemimah.
NEWS Agency gathered that Barnabas, dressed up in different clothes, put on a cap and covered his face with a veil and returned to the shop for second time where gave the girl an ATM card to withdraw the sum of N2, 000, but it was discovered that there was no money in the account.
The convict who knew very well that he had no dime in the account but insisted that the deceased must withdraw the sum of N1, 000 for him, unknown to her that the condenmed criminal was planning to rob her.
While the innocent girl was trying to insert an ATM card in the machine, Barnabas grabbed by the neck, dragged her, and in the process, the girl removed his veil and recognised it was Barnabas.
The convict, having been identified by the helpless girl, he picked a coca cola bottle and violently hit her in the face until the bottle got broken and also used the fragments and stabbed her on the neck where she fell down.
He there and then picked a stick and beat her 3 times leaving her lifeless in her pool of blood after which he carried a hand bag in the shop, POS machine and fled the scene and hid himself in an uncompleted building.
It was gathered that Augustine who accompanied Barnabas, stood a distance away from the shop in order to raise up his hands as signal if anybody is coming to the shop.
While in the uncompleted building, Barnabas, called Augustine, and informed him that he had succeeded in robbing the girl after killing her, and that he should meet him with his clothes in order change the blood soaked clothes used during the operation.
After changing his clothes, he escaped to Unguwan Fulani in Vunoklang and later went to Jimeta ultra modern market where he bought clothes and pair of shoes at the sum of N6, 500, and also paid the sum N11, 000, transport fare so as to escape to Lagos State the following morning.
He later travelled to Song town in Song LGA, where he lodged in a hotel and returned back to Yola, the following day preparatory to escape to Lagos state as arranged.
On his arrival in Yola, he met with Augustine and gave him the sum of N7, 000 as his own share out of N37, 000, proceeds and bid each other farewell.
Bubble finally bust at a time where the convict, called his brother by name Mercel Peter, on phone and pleaded with him to bring him some clothes because he wanted to escape to Lagos. He informed him that he was the one resposible for the untimely death of Jemimah.
Upon hearing it, Mercel immediately informed their father who also invited police officers and apprehended Barnabas as well as Augustine Anthony.
Reacting on the judgement, Counsel to the prosecution, S. B. Digil (Senior State Counsel II) as well as that of the convict and the defendant, A. M. Gindau, appreciated the court for a well considered judgement.
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