A High Court in Lokoja on Wednesday sentenced a middle-aged man, Danladi Ichado, to death by hanging for stabbing two women to death.
Delivering judgment, Justice Nicodemus Awulu, held that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt that the convict was presumed to have intended to kill the women based on the weapon he used.
The judge held that the evidence of Rekiya Rilwan (PW1), who was an eyewitness at the scene of crime had fixed the defendant and demolished his alibi.
Awulu, therefore, convicted the defendant and sentenced him to death by hanging.
Earlier in the case, the prosecution led by Inedu Opaluwa, Senior Legal Officer with the state Ministry of Justice had told the court that Danladi Ichado of Odogomu, Ankpa Local Government Area of the state committed the alleged offence on June 6, 2020.
Charged with Culpable Homicide Contrary to Section 221(a) of the Penal Code, Ichado was said to have on 6th of June 2020 at Oko-Ojuwo, Ogaji in Ankpa, caused the death of the women by stabbing them with a short cutlass on the head and in the chest.
Opaluwa called six witnesses and tendered four exhibits while the defendant called one witness and gave evidence in his defence.
The prosecution alleged that the convict attacked Rabiyetu Yusufu and Jemila Yakubu with lethal weapon and therefore, urged the court to hold that he intended to kill the women based on the weapon he used.
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He argued that with the weapon, Ichado inflicted injuries on their heads and chest penetrating deep and destroying vital organs, leading to their death.
According to him, the three women – Rabiyetu Yusufu, Jemila Yakubu and Rekiya Rilwan were going to farm on the fateful day when the defendant suddenly appeared from the bush wearing a face mask and pounced on them.
He said that the defendant initially escaped but was later caught and arraigned.
Ichado in his defence tried to establish an alibi that he was at home harvesting palm fruits on the day of the incident and therefore couldn’t have possibly been the one that attacked the women. (NAN)
