The Kano State High Court, presided over by Chief Judge Justice Dije Abdu Aboki, has sentenced five members of a vigilante group to death by hanging for the extrajudicial killing of a 17-year-old boy, Ahmed Musa.
The five convicted persons who were attached to the Sani Abacha Youth Centre, are Emmanuel Korau, Elisha Ayuba, Irimiya Timothy, Auwalu Jafar, and Mustapha Haladu.
The prosecution lead counsel, Barrister Lamido Abba Soron Dinki, said that the convicts committed the offence on January 22, 2022, at Sabon Titi, Panshekara in Kumbotso Local Government Area of the state.
Soron Dinki disclosed that on the same date, at about 10 a.m., the convicts conspired and attacked the deceased while he was crossing Sabon Titi, Panshekara Road.
He also informed the court that the defendants came out of a tricycle and started beating the deceased with a long wooden hard stick (club), and in the process, the deceased held the stick.
According to him, in the process, the first defendant used a long, sharp knife, stabbed the deceased in his neck, dragged him to the ground, put him in the said tricycle, and took him away.
"As a result, the deceased sustained grievous injuries and a swollen face," he further disclosed.
The prosecutor stated that the victim was later taken to Kuntau Police Division Kano and was rushed to Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital Kano, where he was confirmed dead by a doctor.
However, in an effort to resolve his case, the prosecution presented five witnesses to the court.
While on his side, the defence counsel, Ahmad Muhammad, led the five convicted persons and one other person additionally.
When the charges were read, the convicts denied committing the offence.
According to the prosecutor, the offence contravened the provisions of Sections 97 and 221(b) of the Penal Code.
While the defendants earlier in their testimony claimed that they approached the deceased with a view to arresting him because of some complaint lodged against him,.
In her ruling, the presiding judge upheld that "I have full satisfaction with the evidence adduced by prosecution Lamido Abba Soron Dinki.
Justice Aboki further commended Soron Dinki for diligent prosecution:
"The prosecution has presented its case beyond reasonable doubt," he said.
"I hereby sentence the five defendants to death by hanging," he ruled.
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