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ByJoseph Adahnu, Yola
Aminu Yaradua, the son of late President of Nigeria, Umaru Yar’adua, has regained freedom from prison.
A Magistrate’s Court in Yola has on Thursday remanded Aminu Yar’Adua, 36, the son of late President Musa Yar’Adua, in prison for allegedly killing four people in an auto crash in Yola.
Yar’Adua, is a student of the American University of Nigeria (AUN) Yola, was charged to court for allegedly causing the death by dangerous driving on 23 June, 2021.
According to the Police First Information Report (FIR) tendered before the court by the prosecutor, Inspector Zakka Musa, the accused had, while driving along Yola bye pass on 23 June, 2021, crushed six people as a result of over speeding.
The court heard that four of the victims were killed and the other two were injured in the accident, with the victims all hailing from Sabon Pegi, Yola South Local Government Area.
The FIR said that ”Those who died in the accident were identified as Aisha Umar (30), Aisha Mamadu (32), Suleiman Abubakar (2), and Jummai Abubakar (30), while, Rejoice Annu (28) and Hajara Aliyu (27) sustained injuries”.
The prosecuting officer told the court that the relatives of the late Aisha Umar, Suleiman Abubakar, and Jummai Abubakar had demanded the sum of N15 million from the defendant as compensation.
But, when the FIR was read to the defendant as prayed by the prosecutor, he denied committing the offence, describing the allegation as untrue.
According to him, the prosecutor pleaded with the court to adjourn the matter, to enable him to duplicate the case file and forward it to the Department of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for legal advice.
Granted the prosecution’s request, the Magistrate, Jummai Ibrahim adjourned the matter to August 19, 2021, for further mention, and ordered that the ex-president’s son be remanded in prison custody until then.
It was gathered from prison and court sources that Yaradua was released after a touted settlement between his family and the families of the four people killed in the accident.
However a close relative of one of the deceased woman, Aisha Umar who spoke to our reporter said, they were herded to the magistrate court where they were asked to leave the matter to God.
“We were taken to the premises of the court where we were asked to leave the matter to God. And since then we obliged and left the matter,” the family source said amidst sobs.
The source also said whether the family got any form of compensation since they had purportedly sought out-of-court settlement, the source said, “we were not given a penny. If there is any arrangement, we were not aware of it as a family,” the source said.
Every efforts to contact the husband of Aisha Umar, Malam Muazu proved abortive as his phone number was not connecting for two days running.
A source close to Aminu Yaradua insisted that a princely N15 million exchanged hands between Yaradua family and the families of the deceased people.
“I can confidently tell you that there was a settlement between Yaradua family and the families of the victims. We were even shocked that the relatives of the Christian victim said they had left the matter while the families of the Muslim victims said they must be compensated.
The source also revealed that , “Yaradua has been released since after the out-of-court settlement and he has already left for Katsina to spend his break,”
Speaking, a senior staff of the Magistrate’s court said he was aware of the out-of-court settlement but said, “I don’t know the terms of the settlement.”
“I’m aware of the fact that an out-of-court settlement between the parties but I’m not in the picture of the terms of settlement,” he said.
Aminu was remanded in prison custody last Thursday, after he was arraigned following charges bordering on dangerous driving.
