The trio suspected of taking part in the death of Niyitanga include Sgt Jean Bosco Rutare, Sadda Musanabandi the wife of the late Niyitanga and Louis Nsanzabarinda who headed security- irondo-operations during the night the incident took place.
Prosecution started by charging Sgt Jean Bosco Rutare with shooting the deceased, killing instantly him.
Prosecution also accused Louis Nsanzabarinda who headed security operations of calling soldiers telling them that they had been attacked by a burglar, who, on arrival, shot him dead.
The prosecution said that after Niyitanga died, the accused put a radio and money on the victim’s body to appear as if he had been shot in the act of robbing.
When he was given time to defend himself, Sgt Jean Bosco Rutare admitted that he was responsible for the shooting. He apologized to the family of the victim and the Rwandan army.
He added that he killed the deceased because he was defending himself and had not planned it.
Meanwhile, Sadda Musanabandi told court that her husband came home around 18h, while she was asleep and started shouting, broke a radio, took Rwf20,000 and left.
She said that she immediately followed him, saw him taking a motorcycle and also took one to his parents’ house but when she reached there no one answered.
Musanabandi said her husband came back home around 21h, and repeatedly banged on the door. She called upon the village leader, who in turn called the security operatives on duty. When they arrived Niyitanga resisted them and they called other people dressed in black. She said she could not tell if they were soldiers or police officers.
When they started beating her husband she called police to arrest them instead of killing her husband. Her neighbour called Valentina called her with bad news that her husband had been shot dead.
Another accused, Nzabarinda pleaded not guilty to all the accusations against him. Jean Bosco Butare’s lawyer, Yussuf Ndutiye said that his client was called in the night and told that there was a security breach and on arrival found security personnel fleeing the crime scene. He said his client didn’t run away because if he so did, he would not be doing his duty.
he court announced that it will make a resolution on October 8th 2018.
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