Five principal suspects in the murder of a 75-year-old market woman, Mrs Bridget Agbaheme, have been arraigned before a Kano State magistrate court.
Dauda Ahmed and four others were presented before Justice Abubakar Jibrin on a 4-count charge which they all denied.
On June 2, 2016, over 3,000 youths were said to have gathered at the popular Kofar Wambai market to take part in a protest that eventually led to the killing of the woman for alleged blasphemy against the prophet of Islam.
Although, no clear evidence has linked the deceased to any blasphemous statement on the prophet of Islam, the 75-year-old Kano resident, who hails from Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State, was beaten to death by the angry mob.
Leader of the Igbo community in Kano, Chief Boniface Ibekwe, said that it was not surprising that the suspects denied the charges against them because they understood the magnitude of their crime.
He expressed hope that the prosecutors and the Police would prove beyond reasonable doubt that the crime was indeed committed.
The presiding judge has fixed June 28 for hearing into the case. This he said, is also to allow the Police to conduct all necessary investigation into the matter.
