A Kano State High Court has sentenced two men, Aliyu Hussaini and Amir Zakariyya, to death by hanging for the murder of Buhari Imam, a lecturer at Northwest University (now Yusuf Maitama Sule University), Kano.
Delivering judgment on Monday, Justice Fatima Adamu found the defendants guilty on a three-count charge of conspiracy, armed robbery, and culpable homicide.
“The action of the defendants shows total disregard for human life,” Justice Adamu declared. “I hereby sentence the defendants to five years’ imprisonment each for conspiracy, 10 years’ imprisonment each for robbery without an option of fine, and death by hanging for culpable homicide. May God have mercy on them.”
According to the prosecution counsel, Mr. Lamido Abba-Sorondinki, the crime occurred on June 11 at Sheka Sabuwar Abuja Quarters in Kano.
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He told the court that the convicts broke into the lecturer’s home around 3:30 a.m., armed with long knives and machetes. During the attack, they robbed the victim of his mobile phone and inflicted fatal stab wounds on his stomach, thigh, and back, leading to his death.
The prosecution presented three witnesses and tendered medical reports and photographs of the deceased as evidence.
Both defendants denied the charges, while their defence counsel, Mr. Haruna Saleh-Zakariyya, pleaded for leniency.
Justice Adamu ruled that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt, noting that the offences contravened Sections 97(1), 298(c), and 221(a) of the Penal Code Laws of Kano State.
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Reacting to the judgment, a senior staff member of Yusuf Maitama Sule University, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the verdict was a “welcome relief” for the late lecturer’s family and colleagues.
“It was a painful loss for us all. The judgment today restores a sense of justice and closure,” the staff member said.
Residents of Sheka Sabuwar Abuja Quarters also expressed satisfaction with the ruling, describing it as a deterrent to rising cases of violent robbery and murder in the state.