A General Court Martial sitting at Maxwell Khobe Cantonment, Jos, Plateau State, on Thursday sentenced a Nigerian soldier, Private Lukman Musa, to death by hanging for the murder of a commercial tricycle operator in Azare, Bauchi State.
The court, presided over by Brigadier General Liafis Bello, found Musa guilty of culpable homicide and unlawful possession of ammunition following a trial that gripped national attention.
According to the prosecution, Musa conspired with an accomplice, identified as Mr. Oba, to lure the unsuspecting tricycle rider, Mr. Abdulrahman Isa, to his residence under the pretense of helping him move personal belongings.
Once inside, Musa struck Isa on the head with a wooden object, rendering him unconscious, before strangling him to death.
The soldier and his accomplice later stuffed Isa’s remains into a sack and dumped the body between Shira and Yala villages in Bauchi. They sold off the victim’s tricycle afterwards.
Military investigators also recovered 34 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition from Musa’s possession without lawful authority, further compounding his offences.
Delivering judgment, Brig. Gen. Bello described Musa’s actions as “barbaric, heartless, and a gross violation of military ethics.”
“You mercilessly metamorphosed from a defender of citizens to a killer. Your action is an embarrassment and disgrace to the Nigerian Army,” the judge declared.
Musa was sentenced to death by hanging under Section 221 of the Penal Code for culpable homicide, and handed two years’ imprisonment for unlawful possession of ammunition in line with the Firearms Act.
He was also dismissed from the Nigerian Army “with ignominy,” stripped of rank, and denied all military privileges.
Major Aminu Mairuwa, Acting Deputy Director of Legal Services, 3 Division, told journalists that the ruling reflected the Army’s determination to enforce discipline.
“This judgment signifies the Nigerian Army’s resolve to ensure that no personnel operates outside the law or laid-down standard operating procedures,” he said.
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