Kogi Court Sentences 24-Year-Old to Death for Killing Father

A High Court sitting in Lokoja, Kogi State, has sentenced 24-year-old Dahiru Yusuf Abbah to death by hanging for the killing of his father, Dahiru Yusuf, in the Sarkin-Noma area of the state capital.

Justice M. M. Gwatana, in a judgment delivered on Wednesday, found Abbah guilty of culpable homicide punishable with death under Section 221 of the Kogi State Penal Code, 2019.

The court held that the prosecution successfully established beyond reasonable doubt that the defendant inflicted injuries on his father which eventually led to his death.

The incident occurred on October 5, 2024, when Abbah allegedly stabbed his father in the chest and back. The victim was taken to hospital but died on October 9 from the injuries sustained.

Abbah was subsequently arraigned on a two-count charge of culpable homicide and criminal conspiracy under Sections 221 and 97(1) of the Kogi State Penal Code, 2019, as amended, in suit number HCL/01C/2025.

Prosecution counsel, Barrister M. Abaji, called nine witnesses during the trial, including the deceased’s wife, Hajia Jumai Dahiru, and the defendant’s siblings, Nafisat Dahiru and Auwwal Dahiru.

Nine exhibits were also tendered before the court, including a blood-stained shirt belonging to the defendant, the deceased’s blood sample, a knife, a digital forensic report and a CD analysis.

Justice Gwatana said the prosecution was not required to produce an eyewitness where circumstantial evidence sufficiently established the commission of an offence.

Although none of the prosecution witnesses directly saw Abbah stab his father, the judge held that the circumstantial evidence, particularly the blood-stained clothing and testimonies of family members, linked him to the killing.

The court also noted that three persons mentioned by the defendant as alibi witnesses, identified as Mai Shai, Aunty Ladidi and Danladi, failed to appear to testify.

Justice Gwatana dismissed the evidence of an Islamic cleric called by the defendant, saying his testimony concerning inheritance was irrelevant to the charge of culpable homicide before the court.

While the court convicted Abbah for culpable homicide, it discharged and acquitted him on the separate charge of criminal conspiracy, ruling that the prosecution failed to provide sufficient evidence to prove the offence.

Following the verdict, the defence counsel, Mohammed S. Inuwa and Mohammed S. Maihaja, said they would appeal the judgment, arguing that the court relied on evidence they considered inadmissible.

Abbah, who maintained his innocence, appealed for clemency.

However, the head of the deceased’s family, Yusuf Bala, welcomed the judgment, saying the family was not motivated by personal hatred but by the need to ensure justice.

“We have nothing against the defendant, but we wanted justice to be done to serve as a deterrent to others,” Bala said.