Sokoto: Court sentences three CJTF members to death for murder

A Sokoto State High Court has sentenced three members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) to death by hanging for criminal conspiracy, armed robbery and the killing of a man who was allegedly dispossessed of N260,000.

The convicts, Gaji Hassan, Abdullahi Goni Gudusu and Modu Bukar, were sentenced on Thursday after Justice Kabiru Muhammad found them guilty of the three offences.

The judgment followed their trial in suit number SS/78C/2026, titled The State vs Gaji Hassan and 2 Others.

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According to a statement by the court’s Public Relations Officer, Nakwanta Muhammad Garba, the incident occurred on September 19, 2024, in Kagara village, Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State.

The court heard that the defendants, allegedly armed with rifles, intercepted Babangida Nasiru and a female companion at about 4:30 p.m. and took them into the bush.

They allegedly collected N260,000 from Nasiru and kept him in their custody before he was later found dead with gunshot wounds to his chest and neck.

During the proceedings, the prosecution called two witnesses, including a surviving eyewitness whose testimony the court found credible.

The court rejected the defendants’ claim that they had released Nasiru, holding that they failed to provide a satisfactory explanation of how he died.

It also relied on the doctrine of last seen in evaluating the circumstances surrounding the killing.

The judge further ruled that the defendants’ confessional statements were admissible, dismissing their allegations of torture because the claims were not corroborated.

The court held that the surviving eyewitness’s testimony alone was sufficient to establish their guilt.

In imposing the sentences, Justice Muhammad cited the mandatory death penalty prescribed under the Sokoto State Penal Code Law, 2019.

He consequently ordered that each defendant be hanged by the neck until dead.

The court, however, informed the convicts that they had the right to challenge the judgment at the Court of Appeal within 90 days.

The statement announcing the judgment was dated October 22, 2026.