High courts in Kano and Ogun states on Monday sentenced eight persons to death for murder.
A Kano State High Court sentenced five men to death by hanging for calling a woman, Dahare Abubakar, 67, a witch and stabbing her to death.
The defendants — Da’luta Ibrahim, Abdulaziz Yahaya, Faisal Yahaya, Ibrahim Abdu, and Ayuba Abdulrahman — were convicted on a charge of culpable homicide.
Delivering judgment, Justice Usman Na’abba ruled that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt and sentenced the five convicts to death by hanging.
Earlier, the prosecution counsel, Lamido Abba-Sorondinki, told the court that the convicts committed the offence on Nov. 15, 2023, in Dadin Kowa Village, Wudil, Kano.
He said the defendants conspired at about 8:30am on the same day after suspecting Dahare Abubakar of being a witch.
“In the process, the defendants followed her to the farm and stabbed her to death with dangerous weapons,” he stated.
In Ogun, the state High Court sitting in Abeokuta convicted and sentenced three people to death by hanging for killing a couple, Kehinde and Bukola Fatinoye and their son, Oreoluwa, on New Year’s Day in 2023.
Justice Basirat Adebowale sentenced the trio of Adekambi Lekan, who was the driver of the deceased; Odetola Ahmed and Adeniyi Waheed, after delivering a judgement which lasted for more than three hours.
The trio were arraigned alongside Fadairo Temitope (wife of the first defendant); Adekambi Adenike, the mother; Owolaja Aanuoluwapo; Usman Azeez, Abass Odetola and Adewusi Lukman.
They were arraigned for a 24-count charge including conspiracy to commit armed robbery, armed robbery, conspiracy to murder, murder, arson, escape from lawful custody, perverting the course of justice, and receiving stolen property.
Delivering the judgement, Justice Adebowale held that the prosecution proved its cases against three major defendants beyond any reasonable doubt.
The judge found them guilty of gruesomely murdering the couple and the son before setting the corpses on fire.
The judge convicted and sentenced the first, second and third defendants of counts one to nine, handing them death by hanging or lethal injection, life imprisonment with hard labour, and 14 years imprisonment among others.
Daily Trust reports that Kehinde and Bukola Fatinoye, alongside their only surviving son, Oreoluwa, attended the 2022/2023 crossover service at the Christ Anglican Church Iporo-Ake, Abeokuta, Ogun State.
The couple was gruesomely murdered by assailants who stormed their apartment a few hours after the crossover into the New Year. Their corpses were set on fire.
The only surviving son, Oreoluwa, and an adopted son, Olorunyomi Felix, were tied with ropes and thrown into the Ogun River.