Justice David Mann, the Chief Justice of Plateau, has rendered a decision in the eagerly anticipated case concerning the murder of Rinji Bala, a university student. In a decision made on Tuesday, December 9, at the Plateau State High Court 1 in Jos, Mann found Sgt.
Ruya Auta guilty of culpable homicide and sentenced him to death by hanging or lethal injection. On May 12, 2020, Auta shot and killed Rinji Bala, a bright young man who was a 300 level student at the University of Jos.
Bala and two of his companions had been arrested while walking around the Hwolshe neighborhood of Jos during the COVID-19 lockdown. been discovered on any of them.
According to reports, Bala and his friends were apprehended, searched, and taken into custody despite no incriminating evidence being found on any of them.
After being be@ten and rele@sed, they were told to run, at which point Rinji was shot, leading to his immediate de@th
.
After years of trial, the court today found the accused officer guilty. The court held that its decision followed a detailed review of the prosecution’s evidence, witnesses’ testimonies, and the court’s evaluation of the circumstances surrounding the case.
The court emphasised that the sentence was intended to uphold the rule of law and ensure accountability, especially in cases involving the unlawful use of force and firearms.
Reacting to the judgment, Peter Bala, father of the late Rinji, said that no sane person would celebrate the death of another human. He, however, said the law had to take its course.
“The truth is the law is the law; that is all I can say” he said
The grieving father also expressed hope that the ruling would serve as a deterrent to negligent security personnel.
