By; MOHAMMED KAWU, Bauchi
Bauchi State Chief Judge, Justice Rabi Talatu Umar has directed for the mental evaluation of a graduate of the University of Maiduguri, Buhari Sani who successfully undeetook a degree awarding studies on Mining and Geology at the institution and passed out in 2020.
But somewhere, somehow along the line, Buhari Sani on October 18, 2022, found himself at the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Jama’are in Bauchi State charged with assault, criminal intimidation and theft.
He was said to have insulted his uncle in Jama’are, where he was domiciled, under what was described as the influence of drugs, frightened some family members, and removed a belonging of one of them.
Justice Rabi Talatu Umar regrettably wondered how Buhari’s uncle shouldered or bored his educational responsibilities right from primary school up to the university level only to turn back and become recalcitrant to him.
The Chief Judge therefore, directed officials of the custodial centre to liaise with Buhari’s family members and Department of Social Welfare of the Jama’are Local Government Council with a view to taking Buhari to a psychiatric hospital for mental and physical evaluation.
Buhari, who was in 2021 posted to Imo State for his National Youth Service Scheme (NYSC) may probably have absconded the service year, attributable to drugs influence as he was unable to collect his discharge certificate at the time of this incident on 18th October, 2022.
Pressed by the Chief Judge as to why Buhari could not collect his NYSC discharge certificate, Buhari attributed it to collaboration between his family members and the Vice Chancellor of his University (UNIMAID).
Justice Rabi said, “NYSC discharge certificate is being personally collected by an institution’s graduate, and not by any proxy, hence, Buhari’s inability to collect his certificate might be as a result of defaulting in the service year.
She explained that Buhari’s mental evaluation at the psychiatric hospital would determine the level of his drugs addiction and eventually admit him for treatment.
The Chief Judge counseled Buhari’s family members, particularly his mother, who is alive, to exercise restraint on her son for him to gradually be cured at the hospital and would one day become useful to himself and the society.
Justice Rabi Talatu Umar has during her cases review, visited Awaiting Trial Persons (ATP) at the Jama’are Medium Custodian Centre, where she freed two persons and granted bail to one other.
