A Gombe State High Court has sentenced two men, Buhari Sule and Muktari Ali Hilami, to death by hanging for armed robbery and the murder of 35-year-old Murtala Rabi’u.
Justice Muhammad-Auwal Haruna, who delivered the judgment at Court No. 5 on Wednesday, convicted the two men of criminal conspiracy, armed robbery and culpable homicide.
The case followed an attack on Rabi’u on September 18, 2025, at Garin Galadima village near Pindiga in Akko Local Government Area of Gombe State.
According to the prosecution, Sule and Hilami conspired, armed themselves with sticks and hoes, and attacked Rabi’u before taking his mobile phone and N7,400 in cash.
State counsel, Abdulkadir Ibrahim, told the court that the defendants agreed to attack Rabi’u, armed themselves with dangerous weapons and dumped his body in a maize farm after the attack.
“The defendants agreed among themselves at Garin Galadima village, armed themselves with dangerous weapons and attacked the deceased, Murtala Rabi’u,” Ibrahim told the court.
The prosecution said the defendants took Rabi’u’s Itel keypad phone, which had no SIM card, and shared the N7,400 after dumping his body in the farm.
“The sum of N7,400 cash, which they shared among themselves after dumping his corpse in a maize farm,” the prosecutor said.
The defendants pleaded not guilty after the charges were read and explained to them.
During the trial, the prosecution called two witnesses, while the defence called one witness. The witnesses were cross-examined by the opposing sides.
Delivering judgment, Justice Haruna said the court had carefully considered the evidence presented by both parties.
“The court has gone through all the charges brought by the prosecution, the evidence of the witnesses and the testimony presented by the defence,” the judge said.
He held that the prosecution had established the charges beyond reasonable doubt, relying particularly on the testimony of the first prosecution witness.
“The prosecution has established its case and proved the allegations against the defendants beyond reasonable doubt,” Justice Haruna held.
The judge also ruled that the defendants failed to establish their defence against the charges.
Justice Haruna subsequently sentenced Sule and Hilami to death by hanging, ordering that they be “hanged by the neck until they are dead.”
Two sentenced to death for armed robbery, murder of man in Gombe