A Kano State High Court has sentenced two men, Hassan Abdullahi and Sani Umar, to death by hanging for the murder of a commercial motorcycle operator during a robbery in Madobi Local Government Area of the state.
The court found the duo guilty of conspiring with a third suspect, identified as Zaharaddeen, alias Zara, who remains at large, to kill the victim, Sulaiman Hassan, before making away with his motorcycle.
According to the prosecution, the incident occurred on September 10, 2020, along the Madobi-Kubaraci Road between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m.
The prosecution, led by Assistant Director in the Kano State Ministry of Justice, Tijjani Ibrahim, told the court that the convicts attacked the victim with a hoe handle, striking him on the neck before abandoning him unconscious in a rice field by the roadside and fleeing with his red Boxer motorcycle.
The defendants were charged with criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide and armed robbery under the Kano State Penal Code.
During the trial, the prosecution presented four witnesses to establish its case.
One of the witnesses, Amira Abdullahi, told the court that the first defendant gave her a mobile phone that was later identified as belonging to the deceased.
The defence, led by Tajuddeen Abdullahi, called the defendants and one additional witness in an attempt to challenge the prosecution’s case.
Delivering judgment, Justice Amina Adamu Aliyu held that the prosecution had proved the charges against the defendants beyond reasonable doubt.
The judge subsequently convicted Hassan Abdullahi and Sani Umar and sentenced both men to death by hanging.
The third suspect, Zaharaddeen, alias Zara, is still at large.
(The Whistler)