Father seeks justice over son’s killing in Plateau

The family of Alhaji Muhammad Umar is seeking justice for the killing of their son, Abdulkareem Muhammad, a 30-year-old herder who was killed by a mob in Kago village, Egbak district of Bassa local government area of Plateau. The family dismissed reports alleging that the victim was a suspected criminal. According to Daily Trust, on […]

The family of Alhaji Muhammad Umar is seeking justice for the killing of their son, Abdulkareem Muhammad, a 30-year-old herder who was killed by a mob in Kago village, Egbak district of Bassa local government area of Plateau.

The family dismissed reports alleging that the victim was a suspected criminal.

According to Daily Trust, on September 10, two persons, including a police officer and a herder, were killed by a mob in the area, who mistook them for motorcycle thieves.

The father of the victim, speaking to journalists in Jos on Sunday, alleged that the mob action against his son was deliberate. He called on the state Commissioner of Police, Emmanuel Adesina, to investigate the matter and seek justice for the deceased, his wife, and child.

The father noted that his son had earlier informed him about a farm dispute, where a police officer accused the deceased’s cattle of destroying the officer’s crops. However, the father claimed this allegation was untrue and that community leaders in the area had begun efforts to investigate the matter and settle it amicably.

Umar described the murder of his son as calculated and urged the police authority to investigate the officer who instructed his arrest.

He emphasized that a genuine arrest should have been carried out by the police in Bassa, with the knowledge of the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of the area, and not by any police officer from the command.

“My son was innocent,”

Umar said. “No one has ever reported him for any kind of criminality, and he should not be described as a criminal. Everyone in the area knows he was engaged in legitimate business. We are calling on the Police Commissioner to investigate this matter. He left behind a child and a wife; who will take responsibility for them?”