Rita Odafe
Usman Abdullahi has been sentenced to death by hanging following a ruling from the Bauchi State High Court for the murder of his friend Zaidu Adamu Kofar Dumi, which stemmed from a dispute over a phone charger.
The judge established the defendant’s guilt for intentional and severe homicide as laid out in the Penal Code.
According to the prosecution, represented by Barrister Abubakar Ahmed Kobi from the State Ministry of Justice, Adamu Mohammed Kofar Dumi reported to the police that on May 12, 2021, Usman Abdullahi had an altercation with his son Zaidu Adamu and his friend Ziya’u Abdulhadi regarding a phone charger. During the fight, Usman stabbed Zaidu multiple times with a knife, leading to fatal injuries. Zaidu was taken to the Specialist Hospital in Bauchi, where he was pronounced dead by medical personnel.
The trial commenced on December 30, 2021, with the defendant facing charges for both grave bodily harm and homicide due to his fatal stabbing of Zaidu in various areas including the stomach and neck.
The defense, led by Barrister Naziru Umar, called two witnesses and sought a more lenient sentence for the defendant.
Upon concluding the arguments, Justice Sambuwal stated in his decision: “I convict Usman Sa’ad for culpable homicide, punishable by hanging until death, as dictated by section 221 of the Penal Code.”
“Moreover, for the grievous harm inflicted, you are sentenced to five years in a correctional facility as per section 239 of the Penal Code.”
