Death Sentence: Kogi Court Convicts 24-Year-Old of Killing Father

Death Sentence: Kogi Court Convicts 24-Year-Old of Killing Father

A Kogi State High Court sitting in Lokoja has sentenced 24-year-old Dahiru Yusuf Abbah to death by hanging for the killing of his father, Dahiru Yusuf.

Justice M.M. Gwatana handed down the sentence after finding that the prosecution had proved the case of culpable homicide against Abbah beyond reasonable doubt.

The court heard that the incident occurred on October 5, 2024, in the Sarkin-Noma area of Lokoja, when Abbah allegedly attacked his father and inflicted stab wounds on his chest and back.

The victim was taken to hospital for treatment but died on October 9, 2024, from injuries sustained during the attack.

Abbah was subsequently arrested and arraigned on charges of culpable homicide and criminal conspiracy under Sections 221 and 97(1) of the Kogi State Penal Code, 2019, as amended.

During the trial, the prosecution called nine witnesses, including the deceased’s wife, Hajia Jumai Dahiru, and two of the defendant’s siblings.

Several exhibits were also presented before the court, including a blood-stained shirt, blood samples, a knife, a digital forensic report and a compact disc analysis.

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Although none of the prosecution witnesses testified that they directly saw Abbah stab his father, the court found that the circumstantial evidence presented by the prosecution was sufficient to establish his involvement in the killing.

Justice Gwatana said the evidence, including the defendant’s blood-stained clothing and testimonies from members of the deceased’s family, linked Abbah to the fatal attack.

The court also considered the defendant’s failure to call a witness in his defence, apart from an Islamic cleric whose testimony about an inheritance dispute was considered unrelated to the central issue before the court.

The judge said the case before the court was a matter of culpable homicide, not an inheritance dispute.

Justice Gwatana convicted Abbah of culpable homicide but discharged him on the separate criminal conspiracy charge, ruling that the prosecution had not established that count to the required standard.

The court subsequently sentenced him to death by hanging for the killing of his father.

However, the judgment is not necessarily the end of the legal process. Defence lawyers Mohammed S. Inuwa and Mohammed S. Maihaja indicated that their client would appeal the conviction and sentence.

The defence reportedly challenged aspects of the evidence relied upon by the court in reaching its decision.

Meanwhile, Yusuf Bala, head of the deceased’s family, welcomed the judgment and said the family had been seeking justice for the victim.

The case could now proceed to the appellate courts if the defendant files the proposed appeal.

Death Sentence: Kogi Court Convicts 24-Year-Old of Killing Father