Kano court sentences two men to death for killing motorcyclist

A Kano State High Court has sentenced two men, Hassan Abdullahi and Sani Umar, to death by hanging for the murder of a commercial motorcyclist during a robbery in Madobi Local Government Area of the state.

The court found the pair guilty of conspiring with a third suspect, identified as Zaharaddeen, popularly known as Zara, who remains at large, to kill the victim, Sulaiman Hassan, before fleeing with his motorcycle.

According to the prosecution, the incident occurred on September 10, 2020, along the Madobi-Kubaraci Road between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Prosecuting counsel and Assistant Director at the Kano State Ministry of Justice, Tijjani Ibrahim, told the court that the convicts attacked the victim with the handle of a hoe, striking him on the neck before abandoning him unconscious in a rice field beside the road.

The assailants then escaped with the victim’s red Boxer motorcycle, which was the subject of the robbery.

The defendants were arraigned on charges of criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide and armed robbery under the Kano State Penal Code.

During the trial, the prosecution called four witnesses to support its case.

One of the witnesses, Amira Abdullahi, testified that the first defendant had given her a mobile phone, which was later identified as belonging to the deceased.

The defence, led by Tajuddeen Abdullahi, called both defendants and one additional witness in an effort to challenge the prosecution’s evidence.

In her judgment, Justice Amina Adamu Aliyu held that the prosecution had established the charges against the defendants beyond reasonable doubt.

She consequently convicted Hassan Abdullahi and Sani Umar and sentenced both men to death by hanging.

The third suspect, Zaharaddeen, alias Zara, is still on the run.