A 57-year-old rape suspect, Sani Mohammed, on Tuesday, died on the premises of the Chief Magistrate’s Court in Yola, Adamawa State.

Mohammed, who was a butcher from Wauru Jabbe, in the Yola South Local Government Area of the state, had been in the Yola Custodial Centre for one year for allegedly raping a minor.

That the deceased was critically ill for about three weeks before he was brought to court on Tuesday.

He was earlier dragged before Chief Magistrate Japhet Basani by the police on August 24, 2020, before his demise on August 24, 2021.

The accused person reportedly collapsed while the court was in session.

Before the magistrate’s attention could be drawn to his condition for necessary orders, he was said to have died.

Our correspondent learnt that the chief magistrate had since communicated Mohammed’s death to the Controller of the Nigeria Correctional Service.

His corpse was said to have been moved to a mortuary by prison warders.