Polio Killings: Court releases journalists on bail

By OLAYINKA AJAYI
Following the killing of nine polio vaccinators by unidentified gun men in Kano state, the two journalists and the Director-General of Kano state Censorship Board that were alleged to have incited the killings through a   Radio programme in Hausa tagged ‘Sandar Girma’  had been released on bail.

Presiding Judge, Justice Ibrahim Bello in his ruling stated that having observed several provisions of the constitution which give automatic bail to an offence that does not exceed three years jail term, he granted the defendants a bail with payment of N100,000 each and two sureties.

The sureties are to include a community leader and a head of department with the organisation where they work.

Yakubu Musa Fage, Mubarak Muhammed of Wazobia FM in Kano and Abubakar Rabo were arraigned at the Magistrate court in Kano on a seven count charge which includes criminal conspiracy, inciting disturbances, intentional insult among others. Sources revealed the defendant expressed no regret over the incident.

Meanwhile counsel to the defendants, Barrister Musa Adamu said the judgment was well delivered considering the gravity of the offence they are being charged with.

At the instances of both parties, the judge adjourned the case till the 13th of March, 2013.According to the prosecutor, the journalists allegedly made comments on radio which “show that polio immunisations were an anti-Islam western conspiracy to cause infertility in women.”

The statement was allegedly made on Hausa Programme two days before the nine female workers administering the polio immunization vaccines were killed.

Saturday Vanguard gathered The police in Kano arrested two staff members of Wazobia FM 95.1 Kano and a former director general, Kano State censorship board, Rabo Abdulkareem over the radio programme which the police claim to have instigated the killing of eight female and one male polio vaccinators.the popular radio programme which is usually aired in Hausa Sandar girm’ allegedly aired a particular scandal about the refusal of polio vaccinators to access the house of Rabo Abdulkareem.

They also shared a conflicting view about the polio vaccine which they believe was laced with chemicals that were likely to cause infertility and hence reduce population.

The vaccinators were shot dead in two separate attacks.