A 23 year old man identified as Musa Hamza has been sentenced to death by hanging by Bauchi State High Court for killing his 17 years old neighbour Adamu Ibrahim.
On December 21, 2020, Hamza, 23, was arrested for the heinous murder of the dead in Alkaleri Local Government Area of Bauchi State.
He had initially admitted to have committed the crime, claiming that a ritualist had ordered him to bring the eyes for ritual in order for him to be wealthy.
After being found guilty of the offence for which he was charged, the court presided over by Justice Faruq Umar Sarki sentenced him to death by hanging.
After being found guilty of killing the teenage boy, slashing his neck, plucking out his two eyes, putting the eyeballs in a bottle, and burying his head and body in different locations, Justice Faruq Umar announced the verdict and sentencing.
Lawyers from the State Ministry of Justice, Mohammed Y Ibrahim, Salihu A Haruna, and Ali S Yusuf, had launched a case against the convict, accusing him of murder, a capital offence under Section 221 of the Penal Code.
The prosecutors informed the court that Musa Hamza had summoned the deceased to a nearby bush.
He struck him with a stick while he was there, hacked off his head, took out his two eyes, and buried his head and body in different areas.
The suspect first rejected the charge against him in court at the start of the trial but eventually confessed it.
The prosecution called six witnesses to testify in court to support their case, while the defence called only one witness, the accused himself.
According to the prosecution witnesses, the boy’s father filed a complaint because his kid did not come home that day, but he learned that he was seen with the accused and that they went out, three of them at night, and ate dinner together.
They also stated that they did not fight and did not insult each other. Later, one of them left the accused and the deceased, but when questioned, the suspect stated that he, too left the deceased.
However, immediately he was arrested, police searched his room and discovered the deceased’s phone and Sim card. When the phone was discovered with the suspect, the inquiry progressed and he confessed to the crime against him.
23 year old man claimed that he took the deceased to the forest, killed him, cut off his head, and plucked his two eyeballs, as he led the police to where the deceased’s body was hidden.
