Ex-Soldier Sentenced To Death By Hanging For Killing Islamic Cleric
Justice Usman Zanna Mohammed, the presiding Judge of Yobe State High Court sitting in Potiskum on Tuesday, sentenced a dismissed soldier, Lance Corporal John Gabriel, to death by hanging.
Justice Muhammed also sentenced Lance Corporal Adamu Gideon to 10 years imprisonment at the Nigerian Correctional Service.
The judge convicted Gabriel, with Nigerian Army number N/A13/69/6522 attached to 241 Recce Battalion, Nguru, and Gideon, after he found them guilty of the offences of murder and conspiracy, respectively.
Delivering the judgement, Justice Mohammed held that after careful consideration of the facts before the court and the failure of the defendants to provide essential witnesses to corroborate their claim, he sentenced the two convicts in line with the provisions of the law.
Osun Defender recalls that a prominent Islamic scholar based in Gashua, Sheikh Goni Aisami, was murdered in Karasuwa Local Government Area of Yobe State by a soldier whom he gave a lift to while on his way to Gashua from Kano on August 22, 2022.
Angered by the action of the ex-soldiers, the Yobe State Government, through the Ministry of Justice, took the matter to court, which led to the judgement.
Hafsoh Isiaq is a graduate of Linguistics. An avid writer committed to creative, high-quality research and news reportage. She has considerable experience in writing and reporting across a variety of platforms including print and online.