A Plateau State High Court sitting in Jos has sentenced a police officer, Sgt. Ruya Auta, to death for the killing of a University of Jos student, Rinji Bala.
The verdict, delivered on Tuesday by the Chief Judge of Plateau State, Justice David Mann, at High Court 1, found the officer guilty of culpable homicide and ordered that he be executed by hanging.
Rinji Bala, a 300-level student of the University of Jos, was killed on May 12, 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdown.
He had been in the company of two friends near the Hwolshe area of Jos when they were arrested by police personnel.
Court findings revealed that the trio were searched and nothing incriminating was discovered. Despite this, they were beaten and later asked to run after being released.
As Rinji fled, the officer reportedly fired at him from behind, leading to his death.
Speaking after the judgment, prosecuting counsel Dr. Garba Pwul (SAN) explained that although the officer argued the shooting was accidental, evidence presented in court showed Rinji was hit from the back, contradicting the claim.
Rinji’s father, Peter Bala said “No sane person celebrates the death of another person, but the law has taken its course,” he said.
He added that he hopes the ruling will serve as a deterrent to other security officers against careless use of their weapons.