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From Jude Owuamanam, Jos
The Plateau State High Court has sentenced Police Sergeant Ruya Auta for shooting to death a 300-level studemt of the University of Jos, Rinji Bala.
The police officer was found guilty of culpable homicide
Chief judge of Plateau State, Justice David Mann, who delivered the ruling in Jos on Tuesday, said that convict would be executed either by hanging or lethal injection.
The court said the decision followed a detailed review of the evidence presented by the prosecution, witnesses’ testimonies, and its own evaluation of the circumstances surrounding the case. It emphasised that the sentence aimed to uphold the rule of law and ensure accountability, particularly in cases involving unlawful use of force and firearms.
Auta shot Bala dead on May 12, 2020, after he was taken into custody along with two friends near Hwolshe, Jos, while strolling during the COVID-19 lockdown.
It was gathered that Bala and his friends were apprehended, searched and taken into custody despite the fact that no incriminating evidence was found on any of them. After being beaten and released, they were told to run. At that point Bala was shot, leading to his immediate death.
Speaking after the judgment, Garba Pwul, SAN, the prosecuting counsel who secured a fiat from the Plateau Attorney-General to represent the state, said justice had been served.
“The judgment was actually expected as the convict didn’t deny the offence; he, however, claimed it was an ‘accidental discharge’. The prosecution was able to establish that the convict intended to shoot the victim, as he was shot in the back, around the waist,” he said.
Reacting to the judgment, Peter Bala, father of the late Rinji Bala, said no sane person would celebrate the death of another human being but stressed that the law had to take its course.
“The truth is the law is the law; that is all I can say,” Bala stated.
Auta’s grieving father also expressed hope that the ruling would serve as a deterrent to negligent security personnel.
