A High Court sitting in Maiduguri has sentenced an 18-year-old herdsman, Adamu Mohammed, to death for culpable homicide after finding him guilty of killing 19-year-old Adamu Ali during a fight in Auno, Konduga Local Government Area of Borno State.

Justice Mohammed Maina delivered the judgment that the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt that the defendant struck his fellow herder on the head with a cutlass during a clash in the bush on January 19, 2025.

The victim was later confirmed dead at the State’s Specialist Hospital, Maiduguri.

Court records obtained on Thursday showed that although Mohammed initially pleaded guilty, the court entered a not-guilty plea because the charge carries capital punishment.

The prosecution then called two witnesses and tendered exhibits, including the defendant’s extra-judicial statements and the medical report.

In both statements, the defendant admitted engaging the deceased in a cutlass fight.

The defence argued that he acted in self-defence, but the court dismissed the claim, noting inconsistencies in his testimony and the absence of evidence showing he could not retreat or avoid the fatal blow.

Justice Maina held that the force used was excessive and unjustified, and that the defendant’s actions met the ingredients of culpable homicide punishable with death under Section 191(a) of the Borno State Penal Code Law, 2023.

He was, therefore, sentenced to death by hanging. (Daily Trust)