by Stanley Azuakola

Hajiya Zainab Umar is a teacher in Modern International Secondary School, Jigawa. One of the students in her class happened to be the son of a member of the Jigawa State House of Assembly, Hon. Nasiru Mohammed Sparrow. It is the fall-out of that relationship which has now pitted Hajiya Umar and Hon Sparrow in court.

Trouble started when Hajiya Umar “disciplined” the son of the lawmaker in class one day. This infuriated the lawmaker, who coincidentally is the chairman of the House Committee on Education. He marched to the school where he allegedly proceeded to verbally assault and threaten the teacher.

Unfortunately for him, the lady was no pushover. She reported the incident to the police, who arrested the lawmaker and promptly arraigned him before the Magistrate Court 1 in Dutse on two-count charge of intentional insult, intent to provoke breach of peace and criminal intimidation contrary to sections 336 and 339 of the Penal Code.

Hon. Sparrow, was present in the court with his counsel when the case was mentioned and the charges were read to him. He pleaded not guilty.

The defence counsel, Mr. Danladi Musa, asked the court to grant his client bail. This was not objected to by the prosecution counsel, Aisha Umar.

Magistrate Mustapha Datti Sa’ad granted the bail request on the payment of N100,000 and one surety, who must either be the Clerk of the Assembly, a legislator or a civil servant on grade level 14.

The case was adjourned to July 9, 2012 to allow the police complete their investigation into the matter.