The Federal Government yesterday called four witnesses as it opened trial in the case involving Mustapha Umar, accused of being the mastermind of the April 26, last year’s bombing of a building occupied by three media houses – ThisDay, the Sun and the Moment – in Kaduna.
The witnesses gave details of how Umar drove a bomb-laden Honda car unto the wall of the building known as SOJ Plaza; how he was captured while trying to escape after allegedly killing three people and how the police saved him from being lynched by a mob.
Before the trial began yesterday, Justice Adeniyi Ademola granted an aplication by the prosecution barring people, other than parties in the case, their lawyers, journalists and law students on court attachment, from witnessing proceedings..
The judge also ordered that witnesses in the case should be protected with their identity, names and other particulars kept secret. In view of the orders, the four witnesses hid their faces by wearing mask.
The first witness, who was identified as Ismael told the court how the accused drove a car ladden with explosives into the building.
He said although the car didn’t explode, the accused allegedly killed three people when, in a bid to escape, he threw one of the explosives into the crowd.
Ismael said: “I was passing along Kontagora Road, Kaduna when I saw people gathered. I moved closer to inquire what was going on. I saw a Honda car very close to the wall of the building. I saw about two people trying to rescue the accused from inside the vehicle.
“He was alone, sitting on the driver’s seat. Thinking he was invoved in an accident, I joined in an attempt to rescue him. The moment we brought him out, he started shouting: ‘I have brought bomb to this premises. It can explode any moment from now.’
“By then, the size of the crowd had increased. They started beating him, asking him to go and remove the bomb. And he told them if they remove it, it will explode,” the witness said.
He told the court how he and others were later able to invite, first some policemen from the Sabongari police station, before other security personnel arrived at the scene.
The witness, who was led in evidence by lead prosecution lawyer, Simon Labaran, added that some moments later, the accused, who was held by some members of the crowd, went close to his car and brought out what looked like a fire extinguisher.
“Because the crowd was outside the premises, he threw the fire extinguisher and we heard a loud sound. Three people died on the spot, one of them was on Okada (motorcycle). “Unfortunately for him, as he was trying to scale the fence, some youths, who had gathered, apprehended him. By this time, he has sustained injuries and was bleeding. We later handed him to the police.”
He said moments after the accused was taken away, some youths set the vehicle on fire, during which the explosives exploded. “About 4pm, when the police came to remove the burnt vehicle, I saw about 12 camp cylinders inside the vehicle. There were three in the front, three in the middle and six in the booth. They were neatly wired to the steering of the vehicle,” the witness said.
On cross-examination by defence lawyer, Nureni Sulaiman, the witness maintained that the accused caused the death of three persons. The second prosecution witness, who said he was the Divisional Crime Officer (DCO) at the Sabongari Police Station when the incident occured, corroborated the first witness’ statement that the accused killed three people by allegedly throwing an object like a fire extinguisher into the crowd.
He said their mission at the scene of the incident was to ensure security and rescue the accused person.
He admitted also seeing the camp cylindres inside the accsued perspns’s vehicle.
The third witness, who said he was qually serving at the Sabongari station as at the time of the incident, told the court how he was directed by his Divisional Police Officer (DPO), who he met at the incident’s scene, to take the accsued person to the Police Medical Centre for treatment.
He said although he had taken the accused person to his station, his DPO called to direct that Umar be taken to the hospital.
The fourth witness, an Assistant Police Commissioner and medical practitioner, told the court how he helped stabilised the accsued person, who was brought to the police medical facility “conscious, but confused.”
Explaining the condition in which he met the accuxed person, the medical expert said “I went to the Accident and Emmergency Room, where I saw the accused person. He was soaked in is own blood After examining him, I niticed he had injuries on his hand and head. He was later stabilised. Initially when he was brought in, he could not talk,” the witness said.
The trial resumes today at 11 am.
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