A High Court sitting in Birnin Kebbi has sentenced three men to death by hanging after finding them guilty of armed robbery and criminal conspiracy.
The convicts, Abdul Mohammed, also known as Audu Dukku; Surajo Umar, also known as Liman; and Aliyu Abdullahi, were convicted on nine counts of charges following a trial that lasted over a year.
Delivering judgment on Wednesday, Justice Hassan Shehu-Kuwa of Birnin Kebbi High Court No. 7 held that the prosecution proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt, establishing the guilt of the defendants as charged.
The trio were arraigned on November 17, 2023, and charged 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.
The prosecution, led by the Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions in the Kebbi State Ministry of Justice, Farida Muhammad, called eight witnesses during the trial. Among them were Hamza Dandare, a retired banker; Alhaji Aminu Garba-Dandiga, a former commissioner; and Aisha Sahabi Tamba.
Several exhibits were tendered and admitted by the court, including a cutlass, a pair of rubber shoes, a plasma television set, N2.85 million in cash, a black cap, and the confessional statements of the defendants recorded in both Hausa and English languages.
Justice Shehu-Kuwa ruled that the testimonies of Prosecution Witnesses 1, 3, 6, and 8 were credible, consistent, and well corroborated, noting that they were not discredited during cross-examination.
The court particularly relied on the testimony of PW1, Hamza Dandare, who positively identified the first defendant, Abdul Mohammed (Audu Dukku), as one of the robbers who attacked him at his residence opposite the Mopol Barracks in the Badariya area of Birnin Kebbi.
According to the court, items stolen during the attack included cash, mobile phones, foreign currencies, and other valuables.
The judge further observed that the defendants did not call any witnesses or present exhibits in their defence, choosing instead to testify on their own behalf after pleading not guilty during their arraignment.
Having found that all the essential ingredients of the offences were established, Justice Shehu-Kuwa sentenced the three convicts to death in line with the mandatory provisions of the law.
After the judgment, defence counsel, Barrister C. C. Ojun, pleaded for leniency, urging the court to consider precedents where death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment or lesser terms.
However, the judge maintained that the court was bound by law to impose the prescribed punishment, adding that only the Governor of Kebbi State, Dr Nasir Idris, has the constitutional authority to consider any plea for clemency.
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