MAGISTRATE ATTACKED BY ARMED BANDITS ,SHOT HIS LEG
UTHMAN BABA-SIRAJDEEN,MINNA.
A Magistrate in the service of the Niger State Judiciary has been attacked by some gang of heavily armed men believed to be bandits
Benjamin Zakari,a residential Magistrate in Rijau Magisterial Division was on his way to his station after attending a one day refreshing workshop held at Azahrah International Hotel in Minna when the dare devil armed men attacked him along with other passengers.
The Magistrate, according to one of the passengers traveling along with other in the Commercial vehicle was attacked while trying to escape, the armed bandits swiftly opened fire sporadically hitting his leg.
The heavily armed bandits who were said to be in possession of sophisticated guns emerged from the bush in their large numbers and barricaded the highway.
It was reliably gathered that the armed men operated for over three hours along the ever busy Kontagora Tegina Highways forcing vehicles to stop on the highway.
At the end of their operation the bandits off-loaded passengers in one of the vehicles and took them to a thick forest just as they injures four other travellers.
Although the numbers of the passengers are yet to be ascertained as at the time of filling this , it was gathered that all the occupants of the vehicle were taken to the forest by the bandits.
The attacked on the Serving Magistrate in the service of the Niger State Judiciary underscore the suffering of the Magistrates in Niger State boarding Commercial vehicles to travel to their station.
Findings revealed that Magistrates in the Niger State Judiciary are the only Magistrates in the Northern states boarding Commercial vehicles along with passengers to and from their station.
The ugly trends according our Investigation revealed the unbearable states of Magistrates boarding the same vehicles with litigants and Criminal standing trial in their courts.
Some two years back a serving female Magistrate in Niger State narrowly escaped attack from one of the litigant she Convicted in her court
The ex-Convict who was traveling along with the Magistrate in the same vehicle identified her and told the Magistrate that ” I have served my jail terms and I will see how you will escape from me today”.
At this point, it was gathered that it took the quick intervention of other passengers from subjecting the Magistrate from unwholesome attack from the ex-convict.
” It is very unfortunate that Magistrates in Niger State are traveling in the same Commercial vehicles with people standing trial in their courts.
” Their situation is so painful and sad. They can be attacked by litigants and criminals standing trial and convicted in their court .
” It is high time that something urgent needs to be done to provide them with vehicles as their colleagues in other states.” a source who preferred anonymity told our reporter
