Angst over beheading of judge *Police launch manhunt for assailant

*2 held for aiding, abetting the murder

By Demola Akinyemi

Ilorin-THE beheading of an area court judge in Kwara State by an aggrieved man after the dissolution of his  marriage to his wife by the court has drawn the ire of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ilorin Branch which condemned the murder.

According to the association, the dastardly act confirmed  the urgent need to provide adequate security for officers of the lower bench, both in the courtroom and their residence.

The NBA urged Governor  Bukola Saraki  to give the security of lower bench  priority  to forestall the recurrence of the sad event.

“It is our hope that the culprit will soon be arrested and made to face the wrath of the law to serve as deterrent to other criminally minded litigants. We therefore charged the Commissioner of Police to set the necessary machinery in motion with the view to arresting the culprit to  face prosecution”, the association  pleaded. The  area court judge, Mallam Kazeem Zakari, in Yashikira, Baruten Local Government Area of Kwara State was allegedly beheaded, last Monday, by a middle aged  man for terminating his marriage.

The spokesperson of  Kwara State Police Command, Dabo Ezekiel, said  the corpse of the judge had  been released for burial.

The suspect, said to be a Fulani herdsman and  now on the run, was said to have murdered the judge at his residence shortly after the judge acceded to the request of the alleged assailant’s in-laws to dissolve  the marriage.

The Fulani man’s in-laws  had instituted a divorce suit before the area court in Yashikira over alleged constant bashing of their daughter by the husband whom they described as a ‘rascal.’

The judge, it was gathered, that  after hearing and careful deliberation of the case granted the in-laws  prayers.

Displeased with the ruling, the now at large Fulani man allegedly resolved to personally ‘deal’ with the judge.

Sunday Vanguard learnt that on the fateful, the judge reported for duty, but returned home after adjournment only to meet his untimely death in the hands of his assailant.

It was  gathered that at the close of work, the court clerk and other officials  took the late judge books to his home only to meet him beheaded. Kwara State Police Command has arrested two Fulani men in Yashikira, for allegedly aiding and abetting the prime suspect. The two suspects were said to be with  the prime suspect  in the bush attending to their cattle when the judge was killed.

The spokesman of the state police command  said  the two suspects were arrested for allegedly aiding and abetting the prime suspect.