A Kano State High Court sitting in Bompai has sentenced two young men to 14 years’ imprisonment without option of fine after finding them guilty of culpable homicide.
The judgment was delivered on Monday, April 27, 2026, by Justice Hadiza Sulaiman after the conclusion of trial proceedings.
The Kano State Government arraigned the convicts, Nafi’u Garba and Abdulmajeed Garba, both residents of Dakata in Nasarawa Local Government Area, on charges of criminal conspiracy and culpable homicide.
The prosecution told the court that the incident occurred on March 16, 2019, at about 8:15 p.m., following a dispute between the deceased, identified as Surajo, and Nafi’u Garba over a marriage-related issue.
It was further alleged that the disagreement escalated after the deceased slapped Nafi’u, who later mobilised a group of youths, leading to an attack on Surajo.
The prosecution maintained that the defendants and others inflicted injuries on the victim, which eventually led to his death.
During the trial, the prosecution counsel, Lamido Abba Soron Dinki, called three witnesses whose testimonies were described by the court as credible and convincing. The defendants, however, denied the charges and presented their defence, which was dismissed by the court.
Justice Sulaiman held that the prosecution had successfully proved the offences of conspiracy and culpable homicide. She noted that although the defendants were culpable, the circumstances showed the act was not premeditated but arose from a fight.
The court also considered the ages of the defendants, who were about 16 years old at the time of the incident, and accordingly amended the charge from Section 221 to Section 224 of the Penal Code.
Consequently, the court sentenced both Nafi’u Garba and Abdulmajeed Garba to 14 years in a correctional facility without the option of a fine.
Margaret ABAH
