A Gombe State High Court has sentenced Sulei Yerima, the District Head of Bangunji, and his accomplice Shedrack Aliyu Kwan to death by hanging for culpable homicide.
The judgment, delivered on Tuesday, by Justice Abdulsalam Mohammad, brings an end to a legal battle from a brutal killing in Shongom Local Government Area in 2017.
While the court found the traditional ruler and Kwan guilty of conspiracy and homicide, three other co-defendants were discharged and acquitted due to insufficient evidence.
The case dates back to August 17, 2017, when the defendants were accused of conspiring to attack Shu’aibu Sale Galadima at Biwula village, near Bangunji. According to the prosecution, the attack, instigated by Shedrack Aliyu Kwan, resulted in severe injuries that led to Galadima’s death.
The prosecution, led by Barrister Haruna Yelma, called out 10 witnesses and presented multiple exhibits to prove that the defendants violated Sections 97, 85, 241, and 221 of the Penal Code (Criminal Conspiracy and Culpable Homicide).
The court acquitted Hamisu Ingila, Shanono Sarkin Pawa, and Joseph Sarkin Noma, ruling that the prosecution failed to link them directly to the crime beyond mentioning their names, while two defendants faced the ultimate penalty.
The prosecution has proved its case beyond reasonable doubt against Sulei Yerima and Shedrack Aliyu Kwan… the evidence against them is credible and convincing. The evidence against Hamisu Ingila, Shanono Sarkin Pawa, and Joseph Sarkin Noma failed to establish their direct involvement… their names were merely mentioned without substantive proof – Justice Abdulsalam Mohammad
The convicts have the right to appeal the judgment at the Court of Appeal within 90 days. If the appellate court upholds the death sentence, the final recourse would be the Supreme Court.
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