Sokoto Court Sentences Three CJTF Members To Death By Hanging

The Sokoto State High Court has sentenced three members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) to death by hanging after convicting them of criminal conspiracy, armed robbery and culpable homicide.

The convicts are Gaji Hassan, Abdullahi Goni Gudusu and Modu Bukar.

In a judgment delivered on Thursday in Suit No. SS/78C/2026, The State vs Gaji Hassan and 2 Others, Justice Kabiru Muhammad found the defendants guilty on all three counts.

According to a statement issued by the court’s Public Relations Officer, Nakwanta Muhammad Garba, the incident occurred on September 19, 2024, at about 4:30 p.m. in Kagara village, Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State.

The court heard that the convicts, who were armed with rifles, stopped Babangida Nasiru and a female companion before taking them into the bush.

They allegedly collected ₦260,000 from Nasiru and held him in their custody. He was later found dead with gunshot wounds to his chest and neck.

The prosecution called two witnesses during the trial, while the judge described the surviving eyewitness’s testimony as credible and unshaken.

The court rejected the defendants’ claim that they had released the deceased, holding that they failed to explain his death under the legal principle of “last seen.”

Justice Muhammad also ruled that the defendants’ confessional statements were voluntary and admissible, noting that their allegations of torture were not corroborated.

The judge held that the surviving eyewitness’s testimony alone was sufficient to establish their guilt.

Citing the mandatory punishment prescribed under the Sokoto State Penal Code Law, 2019, the court sentenced each of the three convicts to death by hanging.

However, Justice Muhammad informed them of their right to appeal the judgment at the Court of Appeal within 90 days.