A man, identified as Festus Stephen, has been sentenced to death by hanging for killing his friend, Mohammed Sani.
Stephen, who killed his friend over a N30,000 debt, was sentenced to die by the Adamawa State High Court.
According to the prosecution team, the convict gave the deceased a loan of N30,000 but Mohammed could not pay back the money at the agreed time.
The incident was said to have happened on the 19th October 2018, at Sabon Pegi, in Yola town, Yola South LGA of the state.
The convict reportedly hit his friend several times until he died.
Jega was quoted to have pledged to pay back the money the following week, while the two friends were in the room on that fateful day.
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The two friends, who were under the influence of codeine and Indian hemp started exchanging words then searching for weapons to use on each other.
Jega attempted to pick a knife under the bed to stab Stephen, but Stephen was quicker in fetching a cutlass, with which he hit Jega twice in the head. He fell down in his pool of blood and died.
The prosecution team told the court that the convict hurriedly picked up a packet of cigarettes, locked the door, and fled to Mubi where he committed another murder and is currently standing another trial for alleged culpable homicide before Hon. Justice Danladi Muhammed led High Court.
In his judgment, Justice Bulila Ikharo of the High Court in Yola, sentenced the defendant after being tried and found guilty of the offence of culpable homicide punishable with death under Section 192 (2) of the penal code law.
The judge ruled, “It is very clear that the defendant had intention of killing the deceased. He used a cutlass and stabbed the deceased twice on the head, a very vital part of the body. As if that was not enough, he locked him up in the room in his pool and left. On the whole, I hereby find and hold that the prosecution had proved its case against the defendant beyond reasonable doubt and I so convict the defendant as charged.
“I wish I could do otherwise considering the fact that the convict is a young man, but my hands are tied. The provision of Section 192 (a) of the Penal Code is mandatory and must be carried out. Accordingly, I hereby sentence you Festus Stephen to death by hanging. May God have mercy on you.”