Tunde Tayo, a resident of Angwan Roka, Maitumbi in Minna, has been sentenced to death by hanging for his participation in the brutal murder of a commercial motorcyclist in Niger State.
The verdict was delivered by Justice Mohammed Mohammed Adishetu, the presiding judge, following a thorough two-hour trial at Minna High Court 4 on Wednesday.
Tayo was convicted on two counts of armed robbery and culpable homicide, offenses punishable under sections 298 and 221 of the Penal Code of Niger State, 1989.
The charges stemmed from an incident on September 13, 2019, when Tayo, along with his accomplices (currently at large), allegedly deceived and robbed Abdullahi Chali Yahaya, a commercial motorcyclist, of his Bajaj motorcycle valued at N215,000.
Subsequently, the perpetrators murdered Yahaya, beheaded him, and buried his body in a shallow grave inside an unfinished building in the Maitumbi area of Minna.
The case was prosecuted by Jude Thaddeus Akaeze, the head of the Legal Unit of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) of the Niger State Police Command. During the trial, the judge emphasized the strength of the circumstantial evidence presented by the prosecution, including Tayo’s admission to owning the unfinished building and being the last person seen with the deceased.
Justice Mohammed Mohammed pronounced, “On the charge of robbery in section 298 of the penal code, you are sentenced to life imprisonment. On the second count charge of culpable homicide under section 221 of the penal code law, you, Tunde Tayo, are hereby convicted and sentenced to death by hanging until you die. May Almighty God have mercy on your soul.”
