More than two months after suspected insurgents kidnapped Haruna Msheila, a judge of the Borno State High Court, alongside his wife and orderly, he remains in captivity with no update on his status....READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE ▶▶
The abductors took Msheila with his wife, a senior judicial officer, and his driver, on the Buratai-Buni-Gari Road while he was returning from the High Court on June 24.
FIJ’s checks on the Nigerian Judicial Council (NJC) website and X page revealed that the judicial body had not shared a publication about the judge’s abduction.
Three days after the abduction, Afam Osigwe, the newly elected president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), described
the kidnap as an attack on the principles of justice, peace and security.
A report by HumAngle, a day after that kidnap, revealed that Msheila, a high-ranking judge in this state, was the first serving judge to be abducted by insurgents since they took over the terrorism-ridden state.
The report further disclosed that the police tracked the judge’s phone and the other occupants of the car to their last location before they were turned off.
FIJ also observed the disparity in the identity of the abductors, as some media reports claimed it was carried out by members of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) while others pointed at Boko Haram.
At the time of the incident, Kenneth Daso, the spokesperson of the Borno State Police Command, confirmed Msheila’s abduction to the media. He said the police would launch an immediate investigation into the abduction by tracking the terrorists and ensuring the safe release of Justice Msheila and his wife.
“The police, through the Borno State Police Commissioner, have delegated a Special Investigation Team which includes the State Intelligence Department and other tactical squads, in collaboration with other security forces and the Department of State Services, to see how they can get forensic evidence to enable them to track and retrieve the victims,” Daso told newsmen in June.
However, there has been no update on the kidnappers’ identities, the release of the judge and his wife, the assurance of their safety and even the efforts the police and other state actors have made to ensure their release.
When FIJ called Daso on Monday afternoon, his phone number was switched off. In response to a text message, he said he would make enquiries about the abduction.
“Let me enquire the details,” Daso wrote to FIJ.
FIJ also called the NJC website’s phone number but it was unavailable.
