Kebbi High Court sentences three armed robbers to death by hanging
A High Court sitting in Birnin Kebbi has sentenced three men to death by hanging after convicting them of armed robbery and criminal conspiracy.
The convicts — Abdul Mohammed, also known as Audu Dukku; Surajo Umar, popularly called Liman; and Aliyu Abdullahi — were found guilty on nine counts following a trial that spanned more than one year.
Delivering judgment on Wednesday, Justice Hassan Shehu-Kuwa of the Birnin Kebbi High Court No. 7 held that the prosecution successfully proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, establishing the culpability of the defendants as charged.
The defendants were arraigned on November 17, 2023, under Sections 1(2)(a) and 6(b) of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions) Act, 2004, as well as Section 304 of the Kebbi State Penal Code Law, 2021.
During the trial, the prosecution team, led by the Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions in the Kebbi State Ministry of Justice, Farida Muhammad, called eight witnesses. Among them were a retired banker, Hamza Dandare; a former commissioner, Alhaji Aminu Garba-Dandiga; and Aisha Sahabi Tamba.
The court admitted several exhibits, including a cutlass, a pair of rubber shoes, a plasma television, N2.85 million in cash, a black cap, and the defendants’ confessional statements recorded in both Hausa and English.
Read Also:
Justice Shehu-Kuwa noted that the testimonies of Prosecution Witnesses 1, 3, 6, and 8 were credible, consistent, and corroborated by other evidence, adding that they were not shaken under cross-examination.
The court particularly relied on the testimony of PW1, Hamza Dandare, who positively identified the first defendant, Abdul Mohammed, as one of the armed robbers who attacked him at his residence opposite the Mopol Barracks in the Badariya area of Birnin Kebbi. Items reportedly stolen during the attack included cash, mobile phones, foreign currencies, and other valuables.
The judge also observed that the defendants did not call any witnesses or tender exhibits in their defence, opting instead to testify personally after pleading not guilty at their arraignment.
Having found that all the essential elements of the offences were fully established, the court sentenced the three convicts to death in accordance with the mandatory provisions of the law.
After the ruling, defence counsel, Barrister C. C. Ojun, appealed for leniency, urging the court to consider precedents where death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment or lesser penalties. However, Justice Shehu-Kuwa maintained that the court was bound by law to impose the prescribed punishment, noting that only the Governor of Kebbi State, Dr Nasir Idris, has the constitutional authority to grant clemency.
By PRNigeria
