Kano court sentences phone robber to death for murder of 22-year-old man
A Kano State High Court has sentenced Abdulaziz Umar to death by hanging for the murder of 22-year-old Mubarak Salisu Badawa. Delivering the judgment on Monday, May 4, 2026, trial judge Justice Zuwaira Yusuf ruled that the prosecution successfully proved its case beyond reasonable doubt. The defendant was found guilty of a two-count charge involving armed robbery and culpable homicide.
The fatal incident took place on October 1, 2020, around 6:00 pm at the Race Course in the Badawa area of Kano. During the attack, the victim was robbed of a Samsung mobile phone valued at N100,000. Umar reportedly carried out the crime alongside several accomplices—identified as Muyi, Umar Sarki, Diga, Ashosho, and Taduke—all of whom remain at large.
Led by Deputy Director of Public Prosecution Aisha Salisu, the prosecution presented four witnesses who provided testimonies implicating the defendant in the conspiracy and stabbing. The defense, led by Ya’u Abdullahi Umar, called only the convict to testify. The court established that the group used a knife to rob the victim and inflicted fatal injuries with full knowledge of the consequences.
Umar was convicted of criminal conspiracy, armed robbery, and culpable homicide punishable by death under the Penal Code Law of Kano State. Justice Yusuf subsequently affirmed the capital sentence to be carried out in accordance with the law. This ruling marks the legal conclusion to a case that has spanned over five years since the initial attack at the Race Course.
