Court accepted reporter’s interview clip as evidence — News — The Guardian Nigeria News – Nigeria and World News

The Kaduna State High Court, Dogarawa Zaria, has admitted a video recording of an interview involving Idris Mustapha, an accused in a high-profile kidnapping case.

The court accepted the clip presented by the prosecution as evidence at yesterday’s hearing. The prosecution, led by Ms. Lucia Mamman, presented the video through a witness named Alhaji Aliyu Babankarfi, Aminiya’s correspondent. Babankarfi stated that he recorded the clip during his meeting with the suspects detained at Zaria Danmagaji Divisional Police Station in January 2021.

According to Babankarfi, he and other reporters had visited the police station and requested to meet the suspects, including Mustapha, who allegedly confessed to being involved in multiple kidnappings.

Babankarfi said he recorded the interview on his mobile phone and later sent the footage to his employer, Media Trust, for publication. The Kaduna State Ministry of Justice later requested the video, stating that it was crucial to their case.

The prosecution applied for the video to be played in court and accepted as evidence, citing its compliance with Article 84 of the Evidence Act. However, defense lawyer Muhammed Baba opposed the application, arguing that the source of the disk could not be determined exactly.

Judge Abdülkadir-Sabo Mahmud ruled in favor of the prosecution, accepting the video as Exhibit P1 and the certificate of compliance as Exhibit P2. The judge postponed the case to January 29, 2025 for the continuation of the hearing.

Mustapha and co-accused Isah Ibrahim (still at large) face two counts of charges under Kaduna State Criminal Code Act No. 5 of 2017.
They are accused of kidnapping four residents of Nagoyi, Zaria, on January 28, 2021, and collecting N14 million as ransom before releasing the victims.