A Yola Chief Magistrate Court II, presided over by Magistrate Japhet Basani, has convicted and sentenced a Numan-based businessman, Ali Yakubu Numan, to two-and-a-half-year In prison for calling Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri ‘father of all thieves.’
Numan was sentenced on Wednesday to two years in prison with an option of N50,000 fine for using abusive language against Fintiri. He was also sentenced to six-month imprisonment without an option of fine for disturbance of public peace.
The businessman, who described Fintiri as “a thief and father of thieves,” was remanded in prison custody following his arraignment on defamation charges brought against him by the Attorney-General of Adamawa State.
Numan had on July 11, 12, 13, 17, 20 and 29, 2021, written and published insulting statements in Hausa and Fulfulde on his Facebook page against the governor.
In the publications, he described Fintiri as “a thief and father of all thieves in Nigeria who stole noodles, spaghetti and billions of naira from the state coffers.”
Delivering judgement, Magistrate Basani said that the court arrived at the verdict after it found the man guilty of the two charges brought against him by the prosecution.
Earlier, counsels to the complainant, A. M. Iliyasu and M.A. Adamu, had called two witnesses who testified in court and tendered confessional statements in both English and Hausa languages respectively, among other exhibits.
On his part, counsel to the convict, R. N. Agav, pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy, informing the court that his client was a first-time offender.
