Supreme Court Confirms Death Sentence for Kaduna Man

The Supreme Court in Abuja has affirmed the death sentence of Abu Umar, a Kaduna-based man convicted of murder for stabbing another individual during a fight. The lead judgment was delivered by Justice Jummai-Hannatu Sankey, who led a five-member panel of justices.

The court found the appeal lacking in merit, upholding the July 22, 2020 decision of the Court of Appeal in Kaduna, which had confirmed the death sentence initially imposed by the High Court of Justice, Kaduna State, on December 14, 2017. The apex court agreed with the arguments presented by Emmanuel Ekpenyong, counsel to the Kaduna State Government from the law firm of Fred-Young & Evans LP.

Justice Sankey noted that the prosecution successfully proved the necessary elements of the offense through eyewitness accounts and Umar's extra-judicial confessional statement. She addressed Umar's claim regarding the absence of a medical report, stating that such a report is not mandatory when death occurs instantly or shortly after the incident.