The sentence of this court upon you is that you will be hanged by the neck until you be dead, and may the Lord have mercy upon your soul.”

By NEWS AGENCY OF NIGERIA 

The Kogi High Court has sentenced a man, Muritala Dare, to death. He was convicted of stabbing his colleague to death with a broken bottle.

Justice Josiah Majebi, who presided over the case at High Court 2, Lokoja, found the accused guilty after considering his involvement in an incident that occurred on August 16, 2020, around the NUJ area of the Lokoja metropolis.

According to the charge, Mr Dare caused the death of Lukman Karim by doing an act to wit, stabbing him on the neck and hand with a broken bottle to cause his death and thereby committed an offence.

The prosecutor called three witnesses and tendered seven exhibits to prove that the defendant committed the offence, including the defendant’s confessional statement, a coroner’s report, and a police postmortem examination report dated August 19, 2020.

The court held that the stated evidence of circumstances made it possible that the statement made by the defendant and contained in Exhibit P1 was “truly confessional.”

“Premised on the above findings, I hold that the prosecution has proved all the ingredients of the charge against the defendant and thereby raising the presumption of guilt against him in respect of the charge,” ruled the judge. “That you, Dare Murtala, is hereby sentenced to death for the offence of culpable homicide for which you are convicted. The sentence of this court upon you is that you will be hanged by the neck until you be dead, and may the Lord have mercy upon your soul.”

(NAN)