A 31-year-old man, Isma’il Umar, was on Friday, December 18, 2015 sentenced to death by hanging by a Kano High Court for stabbing his friend to death following a misunderstanding.
The president of the court, Justice Nura Sagir, while delivering his verdict said that from evidences before the court, the prosecutor proved its case of culpable homicide against Umar.
Sagir said that the evidences presented before the court with the exhibits tendered by the prosecution as well as the defence linked the accused to the offence, punishable by death.
However, the judge recommended that the Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy could look into the matter and if possible to commute the accused’s jail term to 35 years imprisonment following a plea made by counsel to the accused.
The counsel had disclosed that Umar had been in detention for 11 years, and that the convict was now an adult to realise the consequences of his action.
The medical doctor in charge of post-mortem test at the Murtala Mohammed Hospital, Kano, Dr Isa Musa, had earlier testified that the deceased died as a result of stabbing, even though Umar earlier denied committing the offence.
The prosecution counsel, Mr Abdullahi Bature, told journalists that the judgment was timely and in accordance with the rule of law.
In his remarks, the defence counsel, Mr Ibrahim Cedi said his client was convicted based on the evidences before the court.
He, however, commended the judge for recommending that the Committee on Prerogative of Mercy could look into the possibility of commuting the sentence to 35 years imprisonment.
