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Bauchi State Police Commissioner, Umar Mammam Sanda
By Akanji Alowolodo, Bauchi
As controversy continues to trail the death of 65 years old retired civil servant in Bauchi, late Adamu Babanta, the State Police Command has declared that he actually died of Traumatic Spinal cord injury and multiple skeletal/soft tissue Trauma .
The declaration was made by the Commissioner of Police, Umar Sanda while giving updates on the matter to journalists in his office on Monday saying that the Command is doing everything possible to ensure that justice was served in the criminal case.
The case is involving a former Commissioner of Information in Bauchi state, Mohammed Damina.
Umar Sanda said that preliminary investigation showed that the victim, Adamu Babanta, 68 years old, died as a result of a fatal motor accident stressing that investigation so far revealed that the deceased was not intentionally killed by Mohammed Damina as being widely reported in the social media.
The Commissioner further explained that Police preliminary investigation has revealed that Mohammed Damina did not intentionally kill Babanta saying that the suspect was only evading being mobbed after the deceased allegedly raised the alarm that he was a a thief.
The CP also said that the deceased daughter’s and two other witnesses testified to the Police that the former Commissioner was only driving away in his car after being called a thief by late Babanta.
According to him, “Following recent public narratives on the matter, it has become imperative to update members of the public on the Command’s Investigative findings and position regarding the case,”.
“Our preliminary investigation revealed that, on the 30th October 2022, at about 1930hrs, a case of fatal motor accident was reported at Yelwa Divisional Police Headquarters Bauchi, which was immediately transferred to the command’s central Motor Traffic Division (MTD) for a discreet investigation”, the CP said.
He added that, “Preliminary Investigation revealed that the incident occurred at Yelwan Tudu market junction, Bauchi, involving a Honda Accord sedan motor vehicle, black in colour with REG. NO. DAS 688 AA which was driven by one Muhammad Damina (Galadiman Dass) aged 68 years of Yelwan Makaranta, Bauchi who is the suspect and the victim one Adamu Babanta aged 65 years of the same address”.
The CP further said that, “Our findings also established that the accused (Mohammed Damina) is a neighbor to the deceased (Adamu Babanta) who called the daughter on phone and arranged to meet her at a junction near
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) gate Yelwan Tudu market Bauchi”.
He added that, “The father of Khadija who is now deceased met them at that point, though not together inside the suspect’s vehicle or in any sort of compromised position, rather she was standing with the motorcycle rider that brought her to the location” .
He narrated further that, “Then her father, now deceased went straight to the occupant of the vehicle (Mohammed Damina) and both of them started exchanging heated words to a point where the father now deceased started shouting “barawo-barawo” (thief-thief) this was confirmed by an eye witness; the daughter, her senior brother and the suspect. The repercussion of which is to attract mob action from bystanders and passersby”.
According to him, “In the process, the accused attempted to start his vehicle in with the intention of zooming off and evading a public escalation of the situation including possible mob action, but the deceased suddenly opened the vehicle’s door from the driver’s side” .
“Notwithstanding, the accused engaged his vehicle and accelerated while the father of khadija now deceased was still clinged to the car door, as a result, he was dragged to a certain distance, when he fell off thereby hitting his head on the pavement of the road with impact
The victim was rushed to ATBU Teaching Hospital Bauchi for treatment, but was unfortunately confirmed dead by a medical doctor”, he added.
Umar Sanda added that, The accused (Mohammed Damina) was therefore arrested and detained for investigation immediately. I immediately ordered an Autopsy on the corpse to ascertain the cause of his death”.
According to him, “The result was received on 08th November, 2022 from ATBU Teaching Hospital Bauchi which shows that the victim died of Traumatic Spinal cord injury and multiple skeletal/soft tissue Trauma” .
He concluded saying, “As we speak, the Court has remanded the accused at the Correctional facility and I directed that the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) to discreetly investigate the accordingly to unravel the circumstances that led to the unfortunate incident”.
Recall that, Mohammed Damina, who holds the revered traditionally title of Galadiman Dass, is embroidered in a messy scandal after allegedly knocked down and killed in the process, his friend, Adamu Babanta with his car.
The deceased had accused him of trying to woo his teenage daughter, Khadija into a sexual relationship.
The deceased’s daughter, Khadijat had reported that the former Commissioner was making sexual advances at her, a development that did not go down well with the father.
The enraged father then hatched a plan with his daughter to ‘catch’ Damina by asking her to meet up with his friend, but the confrontation ended in tragedy as the former Commissioner allegedly hit Babanta with his after an altercation and he died in the process.
