Gombe Court Sentences Buhari Sule and Muktari Hilami to Death

The Gombe State High Court sentenced Buhari Sule and Muktari Ali Hilami to death by hanging for armed robbery and the murder of 35-year-old Murtala Rabi’u. The ruling was delivered by Justice Muhammad-Auwal Haruna on a Wednesday.

The defendants were found guilty of criminal conspiracy, armed robbery, and culpable homicide related to the attack on Rabi’u on September 18, 2025, in Garin Galadima village, Akko Local Government Area. The prosecution, led by state counsel Abdulkadir Ibrahim, presented evidence that the defendants armed themselves with sticks and hoes, attacked Rabi’u, robbed him of his Itel keypad phone and N7,400 cash, and subsequently inflicted fatal injuries before disposing of his body in a maize farm.

The defendants pleaded not guilty, but the court determined that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, particularly based on the testimony of the first prosecution witness. Justice Haruna ordered that both defendants be hanged until dead.