A Katsina State High Court has sentenced two domestic staff members of the late Rabe Nasir, a former Commissioner for Science and Technology, to death by hanging for his 2021 murder.
Delivering judgment on Wednesday, Justice Ibrahim Mashi of High Court 9 found Shamsu Lawal, a former security guard, and Tasi’u Rabi’u, a cook, guilty of poisoning the late commissioner after a failed robbery attempt.
According to court documents and evidence presented during trial, the two men resorted to poisoning their employer when their efforts to steal from him proved unsuccessful.
A joint investigation by police and medical examiners confirmed that the deceased died from poisoning.
In a related development, the court sentenced a third defendant, Sani Sa’adu, another former guard, to five years in prison for withholding information about the crime.
However, the court acquitted a fourth defendant, Gift Bako, citing insufficient evidence linking her to the incident.
Her defence counsel, Shedrack, welcomed the decision, describing it as “a verdict grounded in truth.” Legal representatives on all sides commended the court for what they described as a fair and transparent trial.
Following the judgment, security operatives immediately took the convicted men into custody, while Bako’s family and legal team were seen expressing relief and gratitude over her acquittal.
The late Rabe Nasir served as Commissioner under former Governor Aminu Bello Masari’s administration.
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He was also a former member of the House of Representatives for Mani and Bindawa Federal Constituency and had previously worked with the Department of State Services (DSS).
