The family of two sisters allegedly savaged by a man, Stephen Shut Jang, in the Sabon Gari area of Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State has demanded justice more than one month after the July 27, 2016 deed that left one sister injured and the other dead.
Seeking the assistance of civil society groups, the family refuted the 36-year-old assailant’s claim that his pregnant girlfriend, Justina Dusu Chado, 30, and her older sister, Simi, had a deadly quarrel in his room out of jealousy.
An elder sister to the victims, Mrs Rifkatu Yusuf, dismissed Jang’s statement. She explained that Jang lied to deceive the general public and conceive the truth.
She said that Jang intended to kill her two younger sisters who went to his house to resolve the pregnancy problem, adding that he cooked up the story to cover his actions. She said: “There was no way two people will fight each other and inflict this level of cuts on one another with a mirror without having cuts on their hands.”
Another member of the victim’s family, Mr Chado Dusu, said: “Mr Stephen Shut Jang did not only murder Simi in cold blood and assaulted Justina who survived the incident miraculously, he went further to tarnish the good name of the family when he concocted a blatant lie, saying the two sisters clashed at his place and a quarrel ensued, leading to the death of the other.
“As a family, we have been cheated already and nothing can bring our sister back to life but all we want now is that the law should take its cause and justice be done. This is why we are calling on the Plateau State Government, the Nigeria Police, human rights activists, Non-Governmental Organisations, civil society organisations and all other relevant authorities to pick up the matter in the interest of justice.”
The Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Plateau State Chapter, condemned the alleged gruesome murder of Simi and the assault on her sister Justina. In a statement signed by the state chairman of NAWOJ, Mrs Jennifer Yerima, the union is worried by the failure of the police to prosecute the suspect.
The statement read: “The association is concerned about the delay in the prosecution of the suspect before a court of law since the incident occurred on the 27th July, 2016 as the deceased, until her demise, was the only breadwinner of the family who was living in Abuja and only got involved in the entire scenario as a peacemaker which unfortunately cost her her life.
“It should be noted that there was no cause for any delay over the prosecution of the suspect after he had glaringly confessed to carrying out this heinous act when the two girls went to his house to know how best the issue would be amicably settled.”
NAWOJ decried the rampant recurrence of sexual and gender-based violence in the society.
The statement added: “As Journalists and watchdogs of the society, we are mandated to address some of these societal ills with nothing to hide from the public glare to enable the world appreciate the plight of women and children nowadays who are most vulnerable. Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) is, therefore, calling on the Plateau State Government through the Ministry of Justice, Ministry for Women Affairs and Social Development, Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) and other relevant authorities responsible for protecting and ensuring that the rights of the average Nigerian is adequately protected to champion this course to ensure that the victim, Justina Dusu, gets justice.’’
Jang reportedly killed his girlfriend’s sister following a disagreement with his pregnant girlfriend, Justina. He was said to have dated Justina for about eight years before she took in a few months ago.
Her refusal to terminate the pregnancy led to a dispute after which Jang attacked Justina and her sister, Simi, who later died in hospital.
Jang, who has since been arrested by the police, was said to have lured his girlfriend and her older sister to his residence on the pretext that he wanted a peaceful resolution of the disagreement. He was said to have, however, inflicted machete cuts on his girlfriend and her sister before neighbours could overpower him.
Police spokesman, Mr Terna Martins, who confirmed the incident and arrest of the suspect said: “But for the judiciary break, the suspect would have been charged to court.”
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