Kano — An Upper Shari'ah Court in Kano State has ordered the remand of 24 disabled persons for allegedly attacking the Special Adviser to Kano State Governor on Disabled Persons, Safiyanu Ado Sharfadi, last week.

According to the police prosecution officer, the accused persons, including Tasi'u Musa, Ya'u Muttaka Suleman, Ado Usman, Adamu Maharazu and Yahaya Ado among others, allegedly attacked the governor's aide at his Sokoto Road office on August 25, 2010, with knives, sticks, stones and iron rods. He alleged that they also vandalized the office. The disabled persons, who are also accused of vandalizing the aide's official vehicle, were said to have beaten up the aide.

The accused persons were charged with criminal conspiracy and mischief, acts contrary to the Kano State Shari'ah Penal Code.

While responding to the charges, the cripples through one Tasi'u Musa, told the court that the governor's aide attacked one of them, who fell from his wheelchair.

"We just couldn't stand by and watch him attack one of us, so we descended on the man until people came and rescued him," he said.

The judge, Mallam Habibuddeen Yahaya Ado, queried the accused persons for taking the law into their own hands and for failing to report the matter to the police.

"If you had done that, probably the complainant would have been the one standing trial now," he said.

Mallam Ado then ordered that the 24 disabled persons be remanded in prison custody, saying they could not be granted bail as the victim was still receiving treatment in a hospital. He maintained that granting them bail could affect the cause of justice.

The matter has been adjourned to October 11.