Minna High Court 4 has delivered a death sentence to Tunde Tayo for the murder of a commercial motorcyclist in Niger State.
Presiding judge, Justice Mohammed Mohammed Adishetu, handed down the verdict on Wednesday, January 10, 2024, after a two-hour judgment session.
Tayo, of Angwan Roka, Maitumbi in Minna, was found guilty on two counts of armed robbery and culpable homicide, under sections 298 and 221 of the Penal Code of Niger State, 1989.
The convict and his friends, who remain at large, were accused of beheading the deceased and burying the body in a shallow grave inside an uncompleted building in Maitumbi area on September 13, 2019.
Jude Thaddeus Akaeze, head of the Legal Unit of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) of the Niger State Police Command, arraigned Tayo.
Based on the First Information Report: “Tayo, of Angwan Roka, Maitumbi in Minna, Niger State, on 13th September 2019 at New FM area Minna, within the jurisdiction of this court, did commit robbery; conspired with others at large, while armed with dangerous weapons, lured and robbed one Abdullahi Chali Yahaya (now late) of Angwan Rahama, Bosso Low Cost, of his Bajaj motorcycle, valued at N215,000 and later killed him.”
Justice Mohammed Mohammed reviewed the case, emphasizing the strong, cogent, and direct circumstantial evidence against the accused.
According to the judge, the convict admitted in his statement to the police that he owns the uncompleted building, adding that,
“Although he denied killing the deceased, circumstantial evidence established that he was last seen with the deceased and that he committed the crime.”
The verdict stated, “On the charge of robbery in section 298 of the penal code, you are sentenced to life imprisonment. On the second count charge of culpable homicide under section 221 of the penal code law, you Tunde Tayo are hereby convicted and sentenced to death by hanging until you die. May Almighty God have mercy on your soul,” as declared by Justice Mohammed.
| LIB
