KANO and Abeokuta High Courts on Monday sentenced eight men to death by hanging for murder
In Kano, the state high court sentenced 5 defendants to death for calling a woman, Dahare Abubakar, 67, a witch and stabbing her to death.
The defendants – Da’luta Ibrahim, Abdulaziz Yahaya, Faisal Yahaya, Ibrahim Abdu, and Ayuba Abdulrahman – were convicted on a charge of culpable homicide.
Delivering judgment, Justice Usman Na’abba, ruled that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt and sentenced the five convicts to death by hanging.
“I hereby sentence the defendants to death by hanging for homicide and acquit Nabi’a Ibrahim, the sixth defendant, as evidence shows she was not at the scene,” he ruled.
Earlier, the prosecution counsel, Lamido Abba-Sorondinki, told the court that the convicts committed the offence on Nov. 15, 2023 in Dadin Kowa Village, Wudil, Kano.
He said the defendants conspired at about 8:30 a.m. on the same day after suspecting Dahare Abubakar of being a witch.
“In the process, the defendants followed her to the farm and stabbed her to death with dangerous weapons,” he stated.
The victim was rushed to Wudil General Hospital, Kano, where a doctor confirmed her death.
Abba-Sorondinki presented four witnesses and two exhibits, including the defendants’ extra-judicial statements and a medical report confirming the victim’s death.
The defendants denied committing the offence.
The prosecution said the offence contravened Section 221(a), read with Section 79 of the Penal Code Laws of Kano State, 1991.
Defence counsel, Ma’aruf Yakasai, presented eight witnesses, including the defendants, to testify in their defence.
Abeokuta
In Abeokuta, the state High Court sitting in Kobape, on Monday, sentenced three men for killing Kehinde Fatinoye, his wife, Bukola, and son, Oreoluwa, on Jan 1, 2023.
The three convicts are Lekan Adekanbi, Ahmed Odetola and Waheed Adeniyi.
They were arraigned alongside six others: Temitope Fadairo and Adenike Adekanbi, wife and mother respectively of the first defendant, Adekanbi.
Others are Anuoluwapo Owolaja, Azeez Usman, Abass Odetola and Lukmon Adewusi.
They were arraigned on a 24-count charge.
The charges bordered on conspiracy to commit armed robbery, armed robbery, conspiracy to murder, murder, arson, escape from lawful custody, perverting the course of justice and receiving stolen property among others.
They, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against them.
The trial judge, Justice Basirat Adebowale, said the three convicts were majorly involved and were guilty of nine charges.
She held that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt that Adekanbi, Odetola and Adeniyi were guilty of the charges.
Adebowale said the offences contravened Sections 21(b),16(1)(b) of the Prohibition of forcible occupation of landed properties, armed robbery, kidnapping, cultism and other anti-violence and other related offences, Law of Ogun 2016.
In addition, she held that the offences contravened Sections 324, 316, 324 and 443 of the Criminal Code Laws of Ogun 2006.
Adebowale, thereafter, convicted the trio to death by hanging.
“You, Adekanbi, Odetola and Adeniyi, for killing father, mother and son; you don’t deserve mercy,” she said.
The judge also convicted Fadairo, the wife of Adekanbi, to two years imprisonment for perverting the course of justice by hiding her husband.
Meanwhile, Adekanbi’s mother, Adenike, was also sentenced to one year imprisonment for making false statements to police officers.
Usman, a welder, was sentenced to 14 years imprisonment for receiving stolen property; two years as an accessory of the fact of armed robbery and seven years for compounding felonies.
The jail terms are to run concurrently with hard labour.
While Owolaja was sentenced to two years imprisonment as an accessory after the fact of murder, Odetola and Adewusi were discharged of the offences preferred against them.
Earlier, the prosecution counsel, Mrs Adefisoye Temilola, had told the court that the trio committed the offences on Jan 1, 2023 at Karounwi Street, Ibara Housing Estate in Abeokuta.
Temilola said Adekanbi, who was the driver to the couple, conspired with Odetola and Adeniyi to rob and murder the couple.
She said the three convicts, while armed with a gun, hammer and cutlass, robbed Fatinoye of the sum of N1.102 million and one Hyundai vehicle, valued at N12 million.
She also said they robbed the wife, Bukola, of her phones, valued at N1 million.
According to the prosecutor, Adekanbi used a sledgehammer to hit Bukola on the head and slashed her neck.
The prosecuting counsel further explained that after the robbery, Adeniyi slaughtered Fatinoye with a knife to the neck.
According to her, the house was later set ablaze and the couple’s only son, Oreoluwa, was thrown into Ogun River with hands and legs tied, which led to his death. (NAN)
