Bauchi High Court Sentences Man To Death For Killing Motorcyclist

A Bauchi State High Court sitting in Bauchi has sentenced a man, Mamuda Zakariyau, to death by hanging for the killing of a commercial motorcyclist during an attempted robbery.

Justice Aliyu Baba Usman, who presided over High Court Number 4, delivered the judgrment on Wednesday, affirming that the defendant was guilty of armed robbery and culpable homicide punishable with death.

While delivering the verdict, the judge held that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and he thereafter pronounced the sentence accordingly.

Mamuda was arraigned by the Bauchi State Ministry of Justice, represented by Yusuf Adamu, on a two-count charge bordering on conspiracy, armed robbery, and culpable homicide.

According to the prosecution, the defendant, alongside an accomplice identified as Sadiq, also known as “Gwaska,” who is currently at large, boarded a commercial motorcycle operated by one Basiru Mohammed on October 16, 2025.

They allegedly lured the victim to the Old Airport area of Bauchi, where he was attacked and dispossessed of his motorcycle.

The second count stated that the act resulted in the death of the motorcyclist, an offence punishable under Section 217 of the Penal Code Law of Bauchi State.

During trial, the prosecution called four witnesses and tendered five exhibits, including a motorcycle, a mobile phone, a knife, and other items recovered during investigation.

Counsel to the defendant, Barrister Kayode Omosehin, urged the court to acquit his client, arguing that the alleged confessional statement was not voluntarily obtained and that the evidence presented was circumstantial, with no eyewitness account.

However, in his judgement, Justice Aliyu Baba Usman dismissed the defence arguments and ruled that the prosecution had successfully established the guilt of the defendant.

The court consequently convicted Mamuda Zakariyau for armed robbery under Section 1(2) of the Robbery and Firearms Act, Cap R11, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, and for culpable homicide punishable with death under Section 217 of the Penal Code Law of Bauchi State.

The judge thereafter sentenced him to death by hanging.

It would be recalled that in October 2025, the Bauchi State Police Command arrested Mamuda Zakariyau, 30-year-old, in connection with the killing of a motorcyclist in Bauchi.

Police investigations revealed that the suspect was tracked and arrested following intelligence gathered from a mobile phone recovered at the scene. Items recovered during the investigation included the victim’s motorcycle and other personal effects.

The case was subsequently charged to court, culminating in the judgement delivered on Wednesday.