By SCM Reporter
A courtroom in Minna was plunged into chaos yesterday after a convicted kidnapper slumped to the floor the moment he heard he would spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Musa Nagoma, a local herdsman, appeared to be overcome with shock at the Minna High Court as Justice Balkisu Yusuf handed down the maximum sentence.
The drama unfolded during a marathon two-hour judgment. While Nagoma stood in the dock, an interpreter translated the judge’s final words from English into Hausa.
The second the word “life” was uttered, Nagoma’s legs gave way. He collapsed instantly, sending court officials and correctional officers scrambling to his aid.
”The courtroom was thrown into total confusion,” said one witness. “One minute he was standing there listening, and the next, he was in a heap on the floor.”
Justice Yusuf found Nagoma guilty of kidnapping under Section 2(2) of the Niger State Kidnapping and Cattle Rustling Law. The judge noted that the prosecution had proved their case “beyond every reasonable doubt.”
While Nagoma’s co-defendant was walked free due to a “lack of diligent prosecution” by the Attorney General’s office, Nagoma wasn’t so lucky.
Following his collapse, correctional officers rushed Nagoma out of the courtroom and into a waiting ambulance stationed on the court premises. He was whisked away to a nearby hospital for emergency treatment.
His current condition remains unknown, but one thing is certain: if he recovers, it will be to a life lived in a cell.
