A Kano State High Court on Wednesday sentenced 21-year-old Umar Idris to death by hanging for the murder of 28-year-old shop owner Sabiu Umar. The court found Idris guilty of culpable homicide after evidence showed he broke into the victim's shop at Tsamiya Mariri Quarters, Kano, on September 2, 2021, around 10:30 p.m., and stole wedding clothes kept for the victim's bride. Prosecution Counsel Lamido Abba-Sorondinki told the court that Sabiu Umar raised an alarm upon discovering Idris, leading to a struggle during which Idris stabbed him in the neck, shoulder and other body parts with a sharp knife, resulting in death. The prosecution presented three witnesses and a confessional statement from Idris, while the defence, led by Muftau Bello, called two witnesses and urged leniency. Justice Sunusi Ado-Ma'aji ruled that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt and imposed the death sentence. Idris, who resides in Farawa Quarters, Kumbotso Local Government Area, denied the charges. The offence was said to violate Section 221(a) of the Kano State Penal Code.
Justice Sunusi Ado-Ma'aji handed down a death sentence while praying for divine mercy, a contradiction embedded in the same breath. The court's final words suggest the state sees itself as both executioner and spiritual intercessor. Sabiu Umar's family lost a man meant to be married; now they face the long wait for a sentence that may never be carried out. Umar Idris, if executed, will be among the few in Nigeria to face hanging in recent decades, a method more often pronounced than performed.
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