High court senstences two soldiers to death, imprisonment for Yobe cleric murder
By Njadvara Musa, Damaturu
The Yobe State High Court has sentenced two soldiers to death and a ten-year jail-term for alleged killing of an Islamic scholar, Sheik Goni Aisami in Gashua.
The convicted suspects; included Lance Corporals John Gabriel and Adamu Gideon, who committed the offences in August 2022, while serving the Nigerian Army at the 241 Recce Battalion, Nguru.
Their ranks were, however, reduced from Lance Corporal to Private, before their immediate dismissals from the Nigerian Army.
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The Acting Commanding Officer of the Battalion, Lt-Col. Ibrahim Abdullahi Osabo said the two suspects were found guilty on two-count charges.
According to him, the charges comprise the failure to perform military duties and conduct to prejudice of service discipline.
While delivering the judgment, yesterday (Thursday), in Potiskum, Justice Usman Zanna Mohammed, disclosed: “Mr. Gabriel with N/A13/69/6522 attached to 241 Recce Battalion, Nguru and Mr. Gideon, are hereby guilty of the offences of murder and conspiracy respectively.
Justice Mohammed, therefore, held that; “After careful consideration of the facts before this Court and the failure of the defendants to provide essential witnesses to corroborate their claims, the two convicts are sentenced in line with the provisions of the law.”
According to reports, the duo brutally murdered the cleric in Karasuwa Local Government Area of the state after he gave them a lift while travelling to Gashua from Kano, Kano state.
Piqued by the actions of the two ex-soldiers, the Yobe State Government through the Ministry of Justice took the matter to court which led to their convictions for death by hanging and 10 years imprisonment respectively.
