Twenty months after he escaped from Jos custodial centre, men of the Plateau state command have re-arrested one of the suspects in the abduction and murder of Pa Dariye Defwan, father of a former Governor of Plateau state, Chief Joshua Dariye.
The suspect, Abubakar Mohammed alias Buba, along with another suspect, Jethro Ngusen, and six others had in June 2020, abducted and murdered 93-year-old Pa Defwan after allegedly collecting N10 million ransom from his family.
But while the suspects, along with six others were standing trial before a Plateau High Court, Abubakar escaped from custody during the Jos Jail break of 28th November, 2021.
Daily Sun gathered that the escaped inmate was re-arrested by the Police in Daffo Market in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State where he went to sell a stolen phone.
It was learnt that he was apprehended following tracking and surveillance by Officers of the Intelligence Response team (IRT) of the Nigerian Police.
Our correspondent further learnt that police Officer of the Bokkos Divisional Headquarters brought the escaped inmate on Thursday 14 September, 2023 to the Jos Custodial Centre and handed him over to the authorities.
Prosecuting Officer from the Plateau State Ministry of Justice, J. I. Mantu, confirmed the re-arrest of the escapee and his subsequent handover to officials of the Jos custodial centre.
Mantu said,, “Abubakar was standing trial before the Plateau State High Court of Justice in Charge No: PLD/J203c/2021 alongside seven (7) other Defendants: Ya’u Saidu alias Ya’u Kaban (2nd Defendant); Jethro Ngusen (3rd Defendant); Dausa Isah (4th Defendant); Sunday Elisha Ibrahim (5th Defendant); Mangut Shumwar (6th Defendant); Henry Amos Dickbit (7th Defendant) and Titus Ezekiel (8th Defendant).
According to the charge the Defendants had on or about the 17th day of June, 2020 at about 12 midnight at Horop Village, Mushere District of Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State conspired and did kidnapped Pa Dariye Defwan, the father of the former Governor of Plateau State, His Excellency Senator Joshua Chibi Dariye.
“The Defendants by the charge collected the ransome of N10,000,000.00 (Ten million Naira) and still went ahead to killed the deceased. The Deceased was later found in a shallow grave in Hok forest in Bokkos Local Government Area.
“They were arraigned before the Court by the Prosecution Team from the Ministry of Justice, Plateau State on Friday, 26th November, 2021 and then the 1st Defendant- Abubakar Mohammed Alias Buba escaped on the 28th November, 2021 during the jail break.
The escaped of Abubakar Mohammed Alias Buba necessitated the amendment of the Charge wherein the Ministry of Justice amended the charge by removing the name of the escapee.”
It will be recalled Mantu, in a petition to the Police in Jos, had alleged that some officers of the Jos Custodial centre on 31st of July, 2023, escorted Ngusen to a bank in Jos to withdraw money.
It was gathered that some vigilant bank officials had raised the alarm, leading to his arrest by men of the Plateau state police command.
