Musa Chiroma, the acting Registrar of the Adamawa State College for Legal Studies, has been remanded in prison custody for allegedly assaulting a female lecturer of the institution during an examination. Magistrate Uwani Mohammed Danladi of the Chief Magistrate Court III ordered his remand following his arraignment by a state prosecutor, Abubakar Nurudeen, for physically assaulting Assistant Chief Lecturer Fadimatu Musa.
The incident, which occurred on April 15, 2024, saw Chiroma storming the examination hall and attacking Musa for refusing to honor a note he had sent requesting leniency for a female student who hadn’t paid exam fees. He reportedly slapped, punched, and pushed her to the ground in front of students.
Musa was rescued by Mallam Babangida Aliyu, a non-academic staff member of the college. She was enforcing examination rules by preventing students who hadn’t paid fees from taking exams.
The assault stemmed from Musa’s role as Chairperson of a Taskforce Committee for Fee Payment Enforcement. Chiroma was reportedly angered because she prevented his candidate and other defaulting students from taking the exam.
Chiroma was arraigned for assault, criminal force to deter a public servant from duty, and voluntary causing of hurt. He pleaded not guilty and applied for bail, which the prosecution opposed, citing ongoing investigation and intimidation of potential witnesses. The court adjourned the matter to May 13, 2024, for ruling on the bail application, ordering Chiroma’s remand until then.
The court session was attended by the Nigerian Bar Association and women’s groups, who pledged to pursue justice in the case.