Court Sentences Two Men to Death for Brutal Murder of Kano University Lecturer
Story: written by Uzuh Rita October 21,2025
A Kano State High Court has convicted and sentenced two men, identified as Aliyu Hussaini and Amir Zakariyya, to death by hanging for the murder of Buhari Imam, a lecturer at Northwest University, Kano.
Delivering judgment on Monday, Justice Fatima Adamu ruled that the prosecution had proven beyond reasonable doubt that the defendants were guilty of conspiracy, armed robbery, and culpable homicide.
According to the prosecuting counsel, Mr. Lamido Abba-Sorondinki, the tragic incident occurred on June 11 at Sheka Sabuwar Abuja Quarters in Kano. He narrated that the convicts, armed with knives and machetes, invaded the lecturer’s residence at about 3:30 a.m., attacked him, and carted away his mobile phone.
“They fatally stabbed the victim multiple times—in the stomach, thigh, and back—causing his death before fleeing the scene,” the prosecutor told the court.
The prosecution presented three witnesses, alongside medical and photographic evidence, which confirmed the cause of death and linked the defendants to the crime.
Although both men denied the charges, their defence counsel, Mr. Haruna Saleh-Zakariyya, pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy.
However, Justice Adamu ruled that the evidence presented established their guilt beyond reasonable doubt, stressing that their actions were “premeditated and inhumane.”
The offences contravened Sections 97(1), 298(c), and 221(a) of the Penal Code Laws of Kano State, which prescribe capital punishment for culpable homicide.
