Man sentenced to death for killing friend over N30,000 debt

The Adamawa State High Court has sentenced a man, Festus Stephen, to death by hanging for killing his friend, Mohammed Sani, over a N30,000 debt.

The court established that Festus killed Mohammed Sani, better known as Jega, during an argument over the N30,000 that Jega was owing him.

According to the prosecution, Festus, who is of Sabon Pegi bye-pass in Yola town, Yola South LGA, caused the death of Jega on the 19th October 2018, at Sabon Pegi by hitting him several times.

The detail of the story has it that it started after Festus gave Jega a loan of N30,000, but Jega could not pay it back at the agreed time.

While they were in the room on that fateful day, Festus demanded his money, but Jega told him he would pay it back the following week.

The exchange of words, however, degenerated to the point when both, said to be under the influence of codeine and Indian hemp, began to look for weapons for a fight.

Jega attempted to pick a knife under the bed to stab Festus, but Festus 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.

Festus then picked up a packet of cigarettes, locked the door and fled to Mubi, in northern Adamawa, where he allegedly committed another murder and is currently standing another trial for alleged culpable homicide before a different judge.

On the murder of Jega, 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.

“It is very clear that the defendant had the intention of killing the deceased. He used a cutlass and stabbed the deceased twice in 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 of blood and left.

“On the whole, I hereby find and hold that the prosecution has proved its case against the defendant beyond a reasonable doubt, and I convict the defendant as charged,” the judge held.