A Kebbi State High Court in Birnin Kebbi has sentenced 40-year-old Bello Musa of Dingyadi, Sokoto State, to death by hanging for culpable homicide. He was also sentenced to five years’ imprisonment for cheating.
According to Leadership News on Tuesday 2 December, 2025, Bello Musa was arraigned on November 22, 2024, before Justice Hassan Shehu Kuwa on three charges: criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide, and cheating. The second accused is still at large.
The prosecution said the incident happened in November when Musa was staying with 31-year-old Shamsiyya Usman at a hotel in Birnin Kebbi. He allegedly poisoned her with a soft drink, left her body in the room, and fled. Police arrested him after an investigation was launched following the discovery of the body.
The prosecution, led by Zainab Muhammad Jabbo from the Ministry of Justice, presented eight witnesses and four exhibits, including statements given by Musa in Hausa and English at the State Criminal Investigation Department in Birnin Kebbi. The defence counsel, Barrister S.K. Mungadi, called the defendant to testify on his own behalf but presented no additional witnesses.
The court ruled that Musa was guilty of criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide, and cheating. He was sentenced to death for the first two offences and five years for cheating. The court also said that the second accused will face trial if apprehended.
The sentence reflects the seriousness of the crimes under the Kebbi State Penal Code and concludes the matter currently before High Court 7.