Sokoto Court Sentences CJTF Members to Death for Murder

The Sokoto State High Court sentenced three members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) to death by hanging after convicting them of criminal conspiracy, armed robbery, and culpable homicide. The convicts, Gaji Hassan, Abdullahi Goni Gudusu, and Modu Bukar, were found guilty in Suit No.

SS/78C/2026, The State vs Gaji Hassan and 2 Others, by Justice Kabiru Muhammad on Thursday. The incident occurred on September 19, 2024, when the convicts, armed with rifles, abducted Babangida Nasiru and a female companion, robbing them of ₦260,000.

Nasiru was later found dead with gunshot wounds. The prosecution presented two witnesses, and the judge deemed the surviving eyewitness’s testimony credible.

The court rejected the defendants' claims of releasing the deceased, citing the legal principle of “last seen.” Justice Muhammad ruled that their confessional statements were admissible, and the defendants were informed of their right to appeal within 90 days.