A Plateau State High Court in Jos has sentenced police sergeant Ruya Auta to death by hanging or lethal injection for the extrajudicial killing of 20-year-old University of Jos student Rinji Bala on May 13, 2020. The ruling on December 8, 2025, came five years after Auta, attached to Operation Safe Haven, shot Bala during a mistaken identity incident amid COVID-19 lockdown robberies near Plateau State Polytechnic. Bala and friends, out for a stroll, were beaten at a military base before Auta fired at the gate, piercing Bala's buttocks and causing fatal injuries.
Eyewitness Emmanuel Gyang recounted the torture and shooting, with Auta claiming a sentry error mistaking them for escapees. Bala's father, Peter, attended every hearing, welcoming consequences without celebrating the verdict as deterrence against brutality echoed in #EndSARS protests. Prosecutor Garba Pwul hailed the tenacity for justice served on this capital offense.
The case underscores accountability gaps in Nigerian security, reviving trauma for Bala's family while offering closure amid systemic reform calls.