By BANNERNEWS Reporter, Lokoja
A High Court sitting in Lokoja, Kogi State, has sentenced 24-year-old Dahiru Yusuf Abbah to death by hanging for killing his father, Dahiru Yusuf.
Justice M.M. Gwatana, in a judgment delivered on Monday, found Abbah guilty of culpable homicide punishable with death under Section 221 of the Kogi State Penal Code, 2019.
The court held that the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt that Abbah intentionally inflicted fatal injuries on his father during an attack at Sarkin-Noma area of Lokoja on October 5, 2024.
The victim, who was stabbed in the chest and back, was taken to hospital but died from his injuries on October 9, 2024.
Abbah was subsequently arrested and arraigned on a two-count charge of culpable homicide and criminal conspiracy under Sections 221 and 97(1) of the Penal Code in suit No. HCL/01C/2025.
Prosecution counsel, M. Abaji, called nine witnesses, including the deceased’s wife, Hajia Jumai Dahiru, and the defendant’s siblings, Nafisat and Auwwal Dahiru.
The prosecution also tendered nine exhibits, including the defendant’s blood-stained shirt, the deceased’s blood sample, a knife, a digital forensic report and a CD analysis.
Although none of the prosecution witnesses witnessed the stabbing, Justice Gwatana held that the circumstantial evidence established the defendant’s guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
The judge said the evidence, including the blood-stained clothes and testimonies of key witnesses, was sufficient to establish the prosecution’s case.
The court also noted that the defendant did not call any witness in his defence, apart from an Islamic cleric whose testimony on inheritance was dismissed as irrelevant to the case.
It further observed that three persons the defendant had named in support of his alibi — a tea seller known as Mai Shai, Aunty Ladidi and Danladi — did not appear in court to testify.
Justice Gwatana consequently convicted Abbah of culpable homicide and sentenced him to death by hanging.
However, the court dismissed the criminal conspiracy charge for lack of sufficient evidence.
Counsel to the defendant, Mohammed S. Inuwa and Mohammed S. Maihaja, said their client would appeal the judgment, arguing that the court relied on inadmissible evidence in reaching its decision.
The head of the deceased’s family, Yusuf Bala, welcomed the judgment, saying the family had no personal grievance against the defendant but wanted justice to prevail.
“We have nothing against the defendant, but we wanted justice to be done to serve as a deterrent to others,” he said.
