Wednesday, December 10, 2025 - The Chief Justice of Plateau, Justice David Mann, has delivered judgment in the long-awaited case involving the killing of a university student, Rinji Bala.
Mann, in a ruling delivered at the Plateau State High Court
1 in Jos, on Tuesday, December 9, pronounced a de@th sentence by hanging or
lethal injection on the convicted Sgt. Ruya Auta found him guilty of the charge
of culpable homicide.
Rinji Bala, a promising young man who was a 300 level
student at the University of Jos, was shot de@d on May 12, 2020, by Auta, after
he was taken into custody along with two of his friends near the Hwolshe area
of Jos, when they were strolling during the COVID-19 lockdown. According to
reports, Bala and his friends were apprehended, searched, and taken into
custody despite no incriminating evidence being found on any of them
After being beaten and released, they were told to run, at
which point Rinji was shot, leading to his immediate death.
After years of trial, the court today found the accused
officer guilty. The court held that its decision followed a detailed review of
the prosecution’s evidence, witnesses’ testimonies, and the court’s evaluation
of the circumstances surrounding the case.
The court emphasized that the sentence was intended to
uphold the rule of law and ensure accountability, especially in cases involving
the unlawful use of force and firearms.
Reacting to the judgment, Peter Bala, father of the late
Rinji, said that no sane person would celebrate the death of another human. He,
however, said the law had to take its course.
“The truth
is the law is the law; that is all I can say'' he said
The grieving father also expressed hope that the ruling
would serve as a deterrent to negligent security personnel.
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