The fate of Stephen Jiya, a resident of the Suleja area of the state, who set his biological mother ablaze, will be decided by December 13, 2023.
Jiya’s fate will be decided by a Minna High Court 1, presided over by the Chief Judge of Niger State, Justice Halima Ibrahim Abdulmalik.
Recall that Jiya perpetrated the act on December 20, 2021, when he visited the woman who lived in Dutsen-Kura, Minna, using a bottle of petrol while she was cooking in her kitchen.
The suspect had earlier confessed at the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) of the Niger State Police Command.
He told the police that he made the move because his mother was always intruding into his marital affairs.
The mother was then rushed to General Hospital Minna by neighbors. She was later transferred to another medical facility, where she ultimately succumbed to her injuries.
Previously, he was arraigned before a magistrate court by SCIID operatives on provisional charges while awaiting legal advice from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) within the Ministry of Justice for proper prosecution in a competent court.
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The DPP formally charged him in the High Court on September 14, 2022, under Section 221 of the Penal Code Law, which carries the death penalty if found guilty.
Consequently, the case’s hearing is set to commence on November 23, 2022, with Chief Judge Justice Abdulmalik scheduling the final decision for December 13, 2023.
In another development, no fewer than 20 people sustained various degrees of injuries following a tanker explosion at a petrol station in the Rigasa area of Kaduna State.
Mr Paul Aboi, Director of Kaduna State Fire Service, made this known in Kaduna.
Aboi said among those injured were five federal firefighters, some personnel of Kaduna Vigilance Service and passers-by.
The director said the injured fire service personnel are currently receiving treatment at the Barau Dikko Specialist Hospital, Kaduna.
According to him, the tanker was offloading petrol at the station on Wednesday when the incident occurred.
Aboi blamed the incident on negligence on the part of the filling station, saying the offloading of the petrol shouldn’t have been done in the afternoon.