Man sentenced to death by hanging for murder in Niger

Tunde Tayo, a resident of Angwan Roka, Maitumbi in Minna, has been sentenced to death by hanging for his involvement in the gruesome murder of a commercial motorcyclist in Niger State.

The presiding judge, Justice Mohammed Mohammed Adishetu, delivered the verdict on Wednesday after a meticulous two-hour-long trial at Minna High Court 4.

Tayo was found guilty on two counts of armed robbery and culpable homicide, offenses punishable under sections 298 and 221 of the Penal Code of Niger State, 1989.

The charges originated from an incident on September 13, 2019, when Tayo, along with his accomplices (currently at large), allegedly lured and robbed Abdullahi Chali Yahaya, a commercial motorcyclist, of his Bajaj motorcycle valued at N215,000.

The perpetrators then murdered Yahaya, decapitated him, and buried his body in a shallow grave inside an uncompleted building in the Maitumbi area of Minna.

The case was brought to trial by the head of the Legal Unit of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) of the Niger State Police Command, Jude Thaddeus Akaeze.

During the trial, the judge stated the strength of the circumstantial evidence presented by the prosecution, adding that Tayo’s admission to owning the uncompleted building and being last seen with the deceased contributed to the case against him.

Justice Mohammed Mohammed pronounced, “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.”