A Nasarawa State High Court has sentenced Saidu Idi to death by hanging for the killing of Hardo Adamu Buli, a resident of Kokona Local Government Area of the state.
The conviction followed the conclusion of trial proceedings in which the court found Idi guilty of armed robbery and culpable homicide, while he was discharged of the charge of criminal conspiracy.
The judgment was delivered on Monday by the Chief Judge of Nasarawa State, Justice Aisha Mohammed Usman, who held that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and that the offences committed were punishable by death under the applicable laws of the state.
Idi had been arraigned on a three-count charge of criminal conspiracy, armed robbery, and culpable homicide in connection with an incident that occurred in 2015.
In delivering the sentence, Justice Usman affirmed that the evidence presented clearly established Idi’s responsibility for the unlawful killing of the deceased, noting that the sentence was in line with the provisions of Nasarawa State’s criminal laws.
Reacting to the judgment, the Nasarawa State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Isaac Danladi, confirmed that the case, which had dragged on for several years, involved charges of criminal conspiracy, armed robbery, and culpable homicide.
According to Danladi, while the court discharged the convict on the conspiracy charge, it found him guilty of the remaining counts.
“At the end of the proceedings, the court delivered judgment. Although the defendant was discharged on the conspiracy count, he was convicted of armed robbery and culpable homicide and consequently sentenced to death by hanging,” he said.
Providing further details, Danladi explained that the victim, Hardo Adamu Buli, was attacked during a robbery operation in Kokona Local Government Area.
“The victim was first shot in the navel before being dispossessed of his valuables and an undisclosed sum of money,” he added, noting that the killing occurred in the course of the robbery, as established during the trial.
He described the judgment as a demonstration that justice can be served without fear or favour, stressing that it would serve as a strong deterrent against violent crime in Nasarawa State.
