Justice Rifkatu Sha of Jos High Court on Tuesday warned an accused person, Tasiu Mohammed, 21, against threatening witnesses testifying against him.
The warning came when Mr. Mohammed was caught making gestures indicating that he would slash the throats of the witnesses, while they stood in the dock.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the police, witnesses and officials of the court, who noticed the threats, immediately alerted the judge, who warned Mr. Mohammed against such contempt.
“You are only lucky that the prosecuting counsel did not pray the court to convict you for contempt, otherwise I would have descended on you.
“I will only warn you to desist from threatening witnesses in the court. If you repeat it, I will start by sentencing you to 14 strokes of the cane,” she said.
NAN reports that Mr. Mohammed, along with two others – Saidu Mohammed, 19, and Umar Shehu 23 – were first arraigned on Feb. 13, charged with criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide, robbery and possession of firearms.
The police prosecutor, O. S. Osho of the State Criminal Investigation Department, at the arraignment, told the court that the accused persons committed the crime on Sept. 23, 2016 at Clark Quarters, Bukuru in Jos.
Osho quoted the accused persons as telling the police, in a confessional statement, that they killed a man, who approached them for help.
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