400 women, children rescued from Boko Haram den – Witness

Abuja – More than 400 persons held in Boko Haram’s “Den’’ were rescued alive on the day their leader, late Mohammed Yusuf, was arrested, a prosecution witness has said.

The witness, Mr Kabiru Dandibi, made the disclosure  during his testimony at the Federal High Court in Abuja Abuja  on Thursday,

Dandibi, an Assistant Commissioner of Police, Criminal Investigation Department, Borno State Command, said that those held by the sect were mainly women and children

According to him, the casualties from the July 30, 2009 clash between the military and members of the sect were heavy.

He said that a number of dead bodies were evacuated and deposited at the University of  Maiduguri Teaching Hospital Mortuary.

On whether the late sect leader was handed over to the police alive, Dandibi stated that CSP J. B Abang, ACP Akeera, and CSP Mohammed Ahmadu, brought Yusuf alive in a handcuff to the police command.

“I saw when the first, second and the third accused brought late Mohammed Yusuf in a convoy of police patrol vehicles; they spent few minutes in the command and left with him toward the Mobile Police Barracks,’’ he said.

Mr Richard Ojobo, the prosecution counsel, could not complete the exercise of taking Dandibi through a smooth routine of examination in chief following an objection raised by the defence counsel.

Mr Patrick Abang and his co-defence counsel had objected to an extract of mortuary record, which Ojobo  sought to be admitted as exhibit.

The document, a mortuary record said to be from the teaching hospital, contained the names of some persons who were killed during the clash on July 30, 2009.

Abang said that the document did not fulfil all the elements necessary for it to be admitted as evidence in the matter.

He said that the document was neither addressed to the prosecutor nor the accused persons, adding that the authenticity of the document cast doubt as it was not done on the letter-head of the hospital.

According to him, the stamp of the hospital on it was not a sufficient prove for it to be accepted as a certified document.

Ojobo, however, urged the court to discountenance the arguments advanced by the defence counsel, adding that the document emanated from the teaching hospital.

He submitted that such documents were not meant to be addressed to any individual, saying that the names of people on the document would assist the court in the matter.

Col. Benjamin Ahanotu, another prosecution witness, while giving last evidence, said that he could not discern the circumstances that led to the death of Yusuf.

He further stated that he was not privy to any meeting where the accused persons threatened to kill the late sect leader.

Ahanotu stated that “all I know in the matter and can say is that I handed over Yusuf alive to the police on July 30, 2009.

Justice Donatus Okorowo, therefore, adjourned the case to Feb 13 and Feb 14, 2012 to rule on the objection raised on the inadmissibility or otherwise of the mortuary record and for further hearing. (NAN)