Kogi court sentences 24-year-old to death for killing father

The High Court in Lokoja, Kogi State, has sentenced 24-year-old Dahiru Abbah to death by hanging for the killing of his father, Dahiru Yusuf. The crime took place in Lokoja’s Sarkin-Noma area on October 5, 2024. On Monday, October 5, 2026, Justice M.M. Gwatana delivered judgment, convicting Abbah of culpable homicide, an offence that carries the death penalty under Section 221 of the Kogi State Penal Code, 2019. The judge determined that prosecutors had established beyond reasonable doubt that Abbah deliberately caused fatal injuries to his father, resulting in his death. Following the October 5 incident, the defendant was taken into custody and brought before the court on a two-count charge of culpable homicide and criminal conspiracy under Sections 221 and 97(1) of the Kogi State Penal Code, 2019, as amended. The case was numbered HCL/01C/2025. In a written submission, prosecuting counsel Barrister M. Abaji told the court that the defendant stabbed his father in the chest and back. The victim was pronounced dead at a hospital on October 9, 2024, as a result of injuries from the attack, Abaji said. During the trial, the prosecution presented nine witnesses, among them the deceased’s wife, Hajia Jumai Dahiru (PW1), and the defendant’s siblings, Nafisat Dahiru (PW2) and Auwwal Dahiru (PW3). Nine exhibits were also submitted, including the defendant’s blood-stained shirt (Exhibit P12A), the deceased’s blood sample (Exhibit P12B), a knife (Exhibit P11), a digital forensic report (Exhibit P14), and a CD analysis (Exhibit P15C). The court observed that the defendant called no witness in his defence other than an Islamic cleric who gave testimony about inheritance. The court rejected that testimony as irrelevant, stating: “This is a case of culpable homicide, not an inheritance case.” Three other persons the defendant named — a tea seller, Mai Shai, Aunty Ladidi, and Danladi — could have supported his alibi for the night of the incident, but none testified. Justice Gwatana noted that a criminal offence may be proven by direct evidence, such as an eyewitness account, a confessional statement, or circumstantial evidence. Under Sections 221 and 97(1) of the Penal Code, he said, the prosecution had to prove its case with credible evidence. Although none of the nine witnesses saw the defendant stab his father, the judge said the prosecution had established its case through circumstantial evidence beyond reasonable doubt. He stated that Exhibit P12, the defendant’s blood-stained clothing, along with the testimony of PW1, PW2, and PW3, supplied more than 80 percent of the evidence needed to prove the case. Justice Gwatana ruled: “The prosecution has successfully proved the case of culpable homicide against the defendant,” and found him guilty as charged. The court, however, dismissed the criminal conspiracy charge due to insufficient evidence. In his final ruling, Justice Gwatana imposed the death sentence by hanging for the killing of the father. Defence counsel Mohammed S. Inuwa and Mohammed S. Maihaja reacted to the judgment by praising the decision but saying their client would appeal. They argued that the judge “relied on inadmissible evidence to arrive at the determination of guilt.” Yusuf Bala, head of the deceased’s family, welcomed the ruling and said justice had been served. “We have nothing against the defendant, but we wanted justice to be done to serve as a deterrent to others,” he said.