By Ado Oyeyemi
The Gombe State High Court has sentenced two men, Buhari Sule and Muktari Ali Hilami, to death by hanging for the murder and armed robbery of a 35-year-old man, Murtala Rabi’u.
Justice Muhammad-Auwal Haruna, who delivered the judgment at Court No. 5 on Wednesday, found the defendants guilty of criminal conspiracy, armed robbery and culpable homicide.
The case arose from an attack on Rabi’u at Garin Galadima village, near Pindiga in Akko Local Government Area of the state, on September 18, 2025.
The prosecution told the court that Sule and Hilami conspired to attack Rabi’u after arming themselves with dangerous weapons, including sticks and hoes.
According to the prosecution, the duo robbed the victim of an Itel keypad phone without a SIM card and N7,400 cash.
The state counsel, Abdulkadir Ibrahim, said the defendants inflicted serious injuries on Rabi’u, which resulted in his death, before dumping his body in a maize farm.
The prosecution said the alleged offences violated Sections 97, 297 and 221 of the Penal Code Law.
The defendants had pleaded not guilty after the charges were read and explained to them.
During the trial, the prosecution called two witnesses, who were cross-examined by defence counsel, Dan Mamman.
The defence also called one witness, who was subsequently cross-examined by the prosecution.
In his judgment, Justice Haruna said he had carefully considered the evidence presented by both sides before arriving at his decision.
The judge held that the prosecution had proved the case against the defendants beyond reasonable doubt, particularly through the testimony of its first witness.
Justice Haruna also ruled that the defendants failed to establish their defence against the allegations.
Consequently, the court convicted Sule and Hilami on the three counts and sentenced each of them to death by hanging.
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The judge ordered that the two men be hanged by the neck until they are dead.
