Nigeria: Katsina Slain Commissioner - Court Sentences 2 to Death

By Tijjani Ibrahim

The Katsina State High Court has sentenced two men to death over the murder of a former Commissioner for Science and Technology in the state, Dr Rabe Nasir.

The presiding Judge, Justice Ibrahim Mashi, who passed the judgements at High Court 9 in Katsina, found Shamsu Lawal, a former security guard of the slain commissioner, and Tasi'u Rabi'u, his cook, guilty of poisoning him which led to his death in his residence at Fatima Shema Quarters, Katsina in 2021.

According to the prosecution, the duo resorted to poisoning the former commissioner after failed attempts to steal from him.

According to evidences tendered before the court, a joint autopsy conducted by the police and hospital has confirmed the presence of poison in Nasir's body.

The court also sentenced another former guard of the deceased, Sani Sa'adu, to five years in prison for concealing the truth about the murder.

The court, however, acquitted one Gift Bako, a female, due to a lack of sufficient evidence to establish her connection with the crime.

Lawyer for the convicts, Ahmad Murtala Kankia, pleaded for leniency, emphasising that "the convicts have families and dependents."

Late Nasir served as the Commissioner for Science and Technology in Katsina State during the administration of former Governor Aminu Masari.

The deceased was a retired anti-graft officer, and was also a former federal legislator representing Mani and Bindawa local governments in 2003.

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