The police in Adamawa state have arraigned a butcher, Yunusa Inuwa, for allegedly stabbing his neighbour, Rabiu Mohammed to death, over a broken plate valued at N500 in the Yola North area of Adamawa State.
The police told the court that Inuwa reportedly attacked and murdered Mohammed by stabbing him in the neck for breaking his younger brother’s wife’s plate at their home located in the Tafida neighbourhood in Yola North Local Government Area of the state.
Police prosecutor, I. S. Barde, said on August 15, 2020, Inuwa returned home from work to meet his brother’s wife lamenting over a broken plate. While enquiring to know who broke the plate, Inuwa was informed by one, Umaraji, that it was Mohammed who broke the plate.
Inuwa in the company of Umaraji then stormed Mohammed’s house where they met him servicing his tricycle. Inuwa is said to have asked him the reason he broke the plate. The police prosecutor said the deceased replied to him that he had found it in the dustbin and did not know its owner. After telling his victim that the plate belongs to his younger brother’s wife, Inuwa is said to have demanded that the deceased pay for the broken plate or incur his wrath. The deceased is said to have replied to him that he will not pay a dime and does not see anybody who will force him to do so.
It was at this juncture that misunderstanding ensued which degenerated to a quarrel where both of them exchanged blows, but got separated by people. During the quarrel, the butcher attempted to pull out his knife when the deceased engaged him with a screwdriver but held his peace because many people were around and eventually returned back home.
Barde said while going out to his business place, the defendant heard his victim shouting at the top of his voice that nobody is going to force him to pay N500 for the rubber plate he broke. Provoked by his utterances, the defendant confronted the deceased where he engaged him in a fresh quarrel. Inuwa is said to have used his sharp knife and stabbed his victim in the neck after the deceased attempted to stab him with his screwdriver.
Having realised that his victim had collapsed, Inuwa fled the scene of the crime.
He later got arrested by the police and was arraigned for culpable homicide contrary to section 191(a) and punishable under section 192(a) of the penal code law.
When the case came up for hearing on Tuesday, November 1, Justice Ishaku Haliru of High IV, ordered Inuwa to be remanded after pleading “not guilty” to the statement and particulars of the offence as read by the prosecuting counsel. Consequently, the prosecuting counsel applied for a date to assemble witnesses to prove his case.
The matter has been adjourned to November 15, 2022 for hearing.