The Kogi State High Court in Koton-Karfi has sentenced a man, Mallam Ibrahim Muhammed, to death by hanging for the murder of two brothers – Mohammed Kudu Abubakar and Umar Tanko Abubakar.
The accused is being tried for robbery and culpable homicide.
According to the Police First Information Report (FIR), the accused, sometime last January, at Kungbani Village, robbed the brothers of their Toyota Carina (BDA 902 AA), thereby committing an offence punishable under Section 298(A) of the Penal Code.
The accused was said to have poisoned Kudu and Umar before hitting them in the head with a pestle, when the poison failed to react on time.
Muhammed, however, pleaded not guilty.
Justice Alaba Omolaye-Ajileye, said: “I hold that after poisoning the brothers, as the accused confessed, he hit their heads with a pestle (exhibit P7) to hasten their annihilation. And, to avoid any trace of his inhuman act, the accused buried the bodies in his compound.
“By your own word, after poisoning Tanko and Mohammed, and they refused to die, you hit them in their heads with a pestle. That was a brutal homicide committed with determination and ruthlessness.
“The manner you committed it, by your own description, makes it a high level of exceptional wickedness, that it can only be properly marked by death sentence, which is the only sentence I can pass on you.”
He, therefore, sentenced the accused to death by hanging.
Tag: hanging
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Man to die by hanging for murder
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Two to die by hanging for robbery
An Osun State High Court, sitting in Iwo, yesterday sentenced two armed robbers, Sunday Ishaih and Akeem Lamidi, to death by hanging.
They were arraigned on a two-count charge of conspiracy to commit robbery and armed robbery.
On May 2, 2012, a gang of four robbers was said to have invaded the home of Mrs. Aladete at Asabi Okin, Iwo Local Government. They dug a hole in the wall into her sitting room.
The victim was beaten and threatened with guns. Her official vehicle was taken away but two of the robbers were arrested at Ibafo while trying to sell the car.
When the convicts were first arraigned on May 21, 2014, and the charge read to them, they pleaded not guilty.
Prosecuting Counsel from the Ministry of Justice, Bamidele Salawu (Principal State Counsel), called three witnesses and tendered some exhibits which were admitted without any objection.
Defence counsel C.N.N. Okwusidi pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy.
Justice Moshood Adeigbe found them guilty on the two-count charge and sentenced them to death by hanging. -
District head’s son to die by hanging
Katsina State High Court sitting in Funtua yesterday sentenced Mu’ammar Tukur, son of former District Head of Bakori, to death by hanging for culpable homicide. Tukur, 32, whose late father represented Bakori/Danja Federal Constituency, was convicted for stabbing Shafir Muktar to death with a knife. Justice Abbas Bawale said the prosecution, led by Aminu Garba, established the case of culpable homicide against the convict beyond reasonable doubt. According to him, efforts by the defence counsel, led by AbdulAziz Olagoke, to contradict the evidence of the prosecution was futile.
He held that the convict ran way between 2008 and 2013 and was arrested at his mother’s funeral. Bawale held that the convict’s reliance on provocation was not material because he left the scene and came with the metallic instrument to perpetrate the action. He said the prosecution proved the case as required by law and sentenced the convict to death by hanging. Justice Bawale added that the plea for leniency could not be entertained because the court’s discretion was blocked by law and directed that the plea be sent to Governor Aminu Masari. He advised the defence to file its appeal within 90 days.
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Two brothers, son of traditional ruler to die by hanging for murder
Two brothers, Shola and Kayode Oni and one other person, are to die by hanging for the murder of one Suleiman Afolabi during a fight on Christmas day in 2012.
Also to be hanged to death alongside the two siblings is Ibrahim Omilade, the son of a traditional ruler in Mafoluku, Oshodi, Lagos State, Chief Bashiru Omilade.
The incident happened at Eyin Ogun Street, Mafoluku, Oshodi, in Lagos State when Suleiman received several machete cut which led to his death.
The accused person were found guilty for the death of the deceased by Justice Kudirat Jose of a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja.
Justice Jose found the condemned persons guilty of the charges conspiracy and murder preferred against them by the prosecution team, Mr. Babatunde Oguntemowo and Mr. Olarewaju Ajanaku.
Justice Jose said in her judgment, “I pronounce the defendants guilty as charged in respect of the offence of murder and conspiracy and are hereby sentenced to death by hanging by the neck until their death.”
The trial judge however cautioned youths to learn from the ordeal that befell the convicts emphasizing that young ones should be careful of going about to attack people to settle scores.
Trouble began for the convicts when four years ago they were invited by a neighbor to celebrate the Christmas with him.
They said they were in the apartment of their host when a young boy came in and informed them that a brother to the deceased, Akeem Afolabi, had threatened to deal with them.
During trial, the convicts had told the court that they went to inquire the reason for the threat but that while discussing, Akeem ordered them to get away.
They claimed in their defence that Akeem had gone inside the house to get a machete with which he tried to attack one of them but that the attack was blocked by another person whose hand was injured in the process.
The convicts claimed that it was while they were trying to dodge Akeem who was wielding a machete and coming after them that the deceased received machete cuts in the waist region.
They said they got to know some days later that a doctor had pronounced the deceased dead.
But the trial judge faulted their testimony pointing out that it sounded rehearsed and polished.
The judge said she found the evidence presented by the prosecution witnesses led by their counsels, Messrs. Oguntemowo and Ajanaku more credible.
She subsequently jailed the convicts 12 years for the offence of conspiracy, starting from the day of arrest, and death by hanging for the offence of murder.
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Man to die by hanging for armed robber
A middle aged man, Friday James, was yesterday sentenced to death by hanging by an Ikeja High Court.
Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye condemned James after finding him guilty of the armed robbery preferred against him by Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecution.
The prosecution team led by Akin George accused the convict was of conspiracy to commit armed robbery, and armed robbery.
George said the convict robbed one Olanrewaju of her jewellery worth N100,000.
He also accused the convict of injuring the victims’ husband with machete and gun.
The prosecutor said the convict committed the offence on February 17, 2012 around 3am on Ewegbemi Street in Meiran, Ajasa Command within Ikeja.
The offence, according to the prosecution, is contrary to Sections 297 and 295 2(a) of Lagos State Criminal Law 2011.
Delivering judgment, Justice Ipaye held that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
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Two to die by hanging for armed robbery
An Ikeja High Court in Lagos yesterday sentenced two men, Omoilodan Seun and Gbenga Kayode, to death by hanging for armed robbery.
Justice Atinuke Ipaye condemned them after finding them guilty.
The lead prosecution counsel, Mr Akin George, a Chief State counsel said the convicts robbed one Alhaji Jinadu of phones and money on November 2, 2011 and Rilwan Gbadamosi and his wife on November 9 of the same year.
He said the offences were committed at Ayangburen Road, Ikorodu.
According to the prosecution, the offence is contrary to Section 295 subsection (2)(b) of the Criminal law of Lagos State.
During trial, the convicts pleaded not guilty to the three-count charge preferred against them.
In his allocutus, the convicts’ counsel, Damola Victor, urged the court to tender justice with mercy because his clients were first time offenders.
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Woman, 38, to die by hanging
A Makurdi High Court in Benue State has sentenced a housewife, Mrs. Ternenge Tersoo, 38, to death by hanging for killing her one-year-old step son.
Her husband told the police in 2012 that Ternenge, his second wife, snatched the baby from his nanny and strangled him.
When the case came up, she denied the allegation and was not remorseful. She did not call any witness to substantiate her claim.
The prosecution called two witnesses, including the investigating police officer, who tendered a medical report of the autopsy carried out on the baby at the General Hospital, Vandeikya.
Justice Jennifer Ijohor said the evidence before her showed that the prosecution proved his case to warrant the conviction of Mrs. Tersoo.
She advised barren women to look up to God, instead of engaging in nefarious acts.
Mrs. Tersoo was later taken to the Federal Minimum Prison, Makurdi where she is awaiting death by hanging.
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Four to die by hanging in Kwara
A Kwara State High Court in Ilorin has sentenced four men to death by hanging.
The quartet were convicted of conspiracy and armed robbery.
Ibrahim Olayiwola, AbdulWaheed Aliyu, Tunde Kareem and Omotayo Isah broke down in tears shortly after the judgment was read.
They were charged for robbing the attendants of Rockfield Petroleum Filling Station, Odota, Ilorin in February 2011.
Justice S.T Umar said he agreed with the lead prosecution counsel, MA Akande, that the prosecution proved its case against the accused.
The court further held that “there is sufficient evidence to establish that the four convicts conspired among themselves and did rob the attendants of Rockfield Petroleum Filling Station on February 18, 2011 while armed with guns”.
The judge said he relied on the confessional statements made at the police station by the accused to deliver his judgment.
Counsel to the first accused Raphael Ashaolu argued that Olayiwola was not on the scene of the incident but was arrested as one of the suspects.
However, counsel to the second, third and fourth accused K Abdulhameed, Abdul Gegele and Kamaldeen Gambri said their clients had alibis.
But the court rejected it on the grounds that while at the police station alibi was not among the pleas.
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Railway police arrest 20 for hanging
No fewer than 20 passengers caught hanging on train rooftops have been arrested by policemen attached to the Railway Police Command at the Ikeja Railway Station.
The arrest followed the command’s renewed onslaught on illegal passengers who were in the habit of hanging on train roof top to evade payment of fares.
But the arrest did not go without any resistance as these illegal passengers began hauling dangerous weapons such as sticks, broken bottles, and stones at the policemen.
Reports said two persons died in the ensuing pandemonium. One of them was passenger who fell off one of the coaches and was crushed to death; the other was said to be a passerby pregnant woman who was hit by missiles.
However, the Railway’s Deputy Director of Public Relations, Mr David Ndanusa Ndakotsu, denied the death report, sasying: “Let anyone claiming there were fatalities come with prove of such. There was nothing of such; no one died in the incident.”
Ndakotsu said about 20 people arrested by the Railway Police Command (RPC), were assisting the police in their investigations, adding that they would be charged to court after conclusion of investigations.
He said: “Violence broke out when the people, sensing their game was up, began to haul dangerous weapons including broken bottles, stones sticks and other missiles against the policemen to prevent their arrest, but they were soon overpowered and were subsequently arrested by the policemen.”
Ndakotsu said the Tuesday incident was confirmed by the Command’s Commissioner, who ensured that the incident did not escalate.
He said the corporation would continue with aggressive enlightenment campaign aimed at reducing such acts.
The leadership of the corporation and the state government, he said, had entered into a collaboration that would see the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) and Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI), joining the railway police in securing all railway stations in the state.
Ndakotsu said the police command would henceforth mount surveillance at major rail stations between the Iddo Terminus and Ijoko, Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State; Ikeja, Mushin, PWD and Iju, a Lagos suburb.
He urged commuters patronising the train Mass Transit Service (MTS) to be law-abiding by purchasing appropriate tickets, adding that the corporation would fish out undesirable elements and prosecute them in accordance with the laws of the land.
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Man to die by hanging for murder
Justice Theodora Uloho of a Delta State High Court, Orerokpe, Okpe Local Government, has sentenced a 27-year-old university worker, David Wonder Erhirhie, to death.
The court found Erhirhie guilty of the murder of Chinoso Ijezie , an admission seeker at Abraka in 2009, an offence punishable under Section 319 of the Criminal Code Law State Cap C 21 Law of Delta State.
Erhirhie, a worker of the State University, Abraka, was involved in admission racketeering.
He collected N155,000 from the deceased to assist her to secure admission into the university.
The convict, however, could not secure the admission.
In a bid to cover up the fraud, he lured the deceased to his house under the pretence that he wanted to refund the money.
He killed her and buried her body in a shallow grave close to his house.
The judge said: “The punishment for a crime of this magnitude is death penalty.
“This accused does not deserve less. I hereby sentence you to death by hanging of the neck until you be dead.
“May God have mercy upon your soul.”
In a related development, an Asaba High Court yesterday sentenced two kidnappers to 113 years imprisonment with hard labour for kidnapping and robbery.
The kidnappers are David Erutere (31), a native of Ekrakra Village, Ethiope East Local Government and Sunday Omamuzo Ukaikwo, a native of Olomoro, Isoko South Local Government.
The court found them guilty of a five-count charge of conspiracy to commit a felony to wit, robbery, contrary to Section 6(b) and punishable under Section (1) A of the robbery and fire arms (Special Provision) Act Cap R 11 volume 14 Laws of the Federation, 2004.
The prosecution told the court that Erutere and Omamuzo kidnapped and robbed Irikefe Edafe and Egwu Johnbull of their valuables and demanded N50 million from their families.
The court sentenced Erutere to 45 years in jail for conspiracy to commit robbery.
Ukaikwo, who claimed to be a farmer, was slammed with 25 years for the same offence.
The duo got seven years each for conspiracy to commit kidnapping; three years imprisonment each for demanding property with menace and another 10 years each for kidnapping.
Ukaikwo was arrested by the State Security Service (SSS) when he went to pick up the agreed ransom.
He took the security agents to the home of the second accused where he was arrested and later charged to court.