Kano — December 2, 2025 | Dalena Reporters
A Kano State High Court has sentenced a 22-year-old man, Najibullah Alkasim, to death by hanging after convicting him of stabbing his neighbour, Isyaku Ya’u, to death during a dispute at a community celebration.
According to the prosecution, the fatal incident occurred on January 19, 2024 at Dawakin Dakata Quarters, Nasarawa Local Government Area, during a party to mark an election tribunal victory in the neighbourhood. Police told the court that Alkasim used a screwdriver — described as a sharp, pointed tool — to stab Ya’u in the chest, causing injuries that led to his immediate death.
In her judgment, Justice Farida Dabappa held that the prosecution had satisfactorily proved the case beyond reasonable doubt, relying on eyewitness testimony from four witnesses, a medical report, photographs, the weapon recovered from the scene, and a confessional statement by the accused. The court found that Alkasim’s actions violated Section 221(a) of the Penal Code and therefore constituted culpable homicide meriting the death penalty.
The convict had denied the charge, but the evidence presented persuaded the court to deliver the maximum sentence prescribed under law. The ruling reaffirms the position of the Kano State justice system that premeditated, lethal violence will be punished with the harshest possible sentence.
As of press time, the condemned man remains in custody pending appeal or confirmation of the sentence.
By Dalena Reporters — Northwest Nigeria Bureau