A Kano State High Court has sentenced Court sentences four to death for killing garage ownerfour men to death by hanging for the gruesome murder of a garage owner, Rilwanu Ilyasu, popularly known as Nanu, in Farawa Layout, Kano.
Those convicted are Abubakar Sadiq (also known as Alhaji Sallari), Abdulmajid Jibrin, Nasiru Sani, and Yusuf Sani.
They were found guilty on two counts of criminal conspiracy and culpable homicide, contrary to Sections 97 and 221(b) of the Penal Code. Two other suspects, identified as Nura Farin Boss and Dan Bayo, remain at large.
According to the prosecution counsel, Barrister Safiya Yalwati, the incident occurred on the night of April 13, 2016, when the convicts stormed Ilyasu’s residence armed with an axe and other dangerous weapons.
Yalwati told the court that the attack was fueled by suspicion that the deceased had provided information to operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), which led to the arrest of the first defendant and the confiscation of illicit drugs and N27,000.
The assault left Ilyasu with severe injuries that proved fatal.
The prosecution presented eight witnesses and tendered several exhibits, including the murder weapon, to establish its case.
Delivering judgment, the presiding judge held that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt and consequently sentenced the four defendants to death by hanging.
Reacting to the verdict, the Kano State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Abdulkarim Maude Kabir (SAN), through his media aide, Abubakar Tijjani Ibrahim, commended the judgment, describing it as a reflection of the government’s resolve to uphold justice and the rule of law in the state.