By Hussaini Ibrahim
A Kano State High Court on Thursday sentenced a man, Muhammad Sani Imam, to death by hanging for killing his friend, Yassir Nasir, during a dispute in the Hotoro area of Kano.
The judgment, delivered by Justice Na’abba of Court 6, brought to a close a case instituted by the state in 2024.
According to details presented in court, Imam stabbed the deceased in the chest with a sharp knife during an argument in Hotoro Yandodo. Nasir was later rushed to the Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital, where doctors confirmed him dead.
Prosecuting counsel, Barrister Rabiat Saad Sule, told the court that the evidence against the defendant was overwhelming, noting that witnesses and medical findings established the attack and its fatal consequence.
She urged the court to convict the defendant on the strength of the proof of evidence.
Justice Na’abba held that the prosecution successfully proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and convicted Imam of culpable homicide punishable with death. The court thereafter sentenced him to death by hanging.
Reacting to the judgment, the Kano State Ministry of Justice said the decision reflects its commitment to ensuring justice for victims of violent crimes.
“The Ministry remains steadfast in upholding the rule of law and pursuing accountability for criminal acts, especially those resulting in loss of life,” the ministry’s spokesperson, Najib Lawan Danbazau, said in a statement.
He added that the verdict reinforces public confidence in the state’s justice system and demonstrates that violent offenders will not escape punishment.