A High Court in Plateau State on Wednesday sentenced two persons, Thomas Danboyi and Pam Lang, to death by hanging for their roles in the killing of one Chung Bot.
The verdict was delivered by the state Chief Judge, Justice David Gwong Mann, at the High Court in Jos on Wednesday.
In the case, State vs. Thomas Danboyi & Pam Lang (Charge No. PLD/J112C/2010), the court found the defendants guilty of criminal conspiracy and culpable homicide.
He said the offences were punishable under the Penal Code Law of Northern Nigeria, 1963 (then applicable to Plateau State).
According to the prosecution, led by the Plateau State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, P.A. Daffi and a team of lawyers, the crime occurred on April 26, 2010, at Tahai Gyel Bukuru in Jos South Local Government Area.
The prosecution had told the court that the victim, Chung Bot, and his family had gone to their farmland in Ta Hei, Gyel, to cultivate when they were attacked by the accused persons with other persons (now at large).
Evidence presented before the court revealed that the first accused, Thomas Danboyi, restrained the victim by holding his hands behind his back while the second accused, Pam Lang, repeatedly struck Bot on the head with a stick.
It was learnt that the victim was later rushed to the Plateau Hospital, Jos, where he succumbed to his injuries while receiving treatment.
The court found both defendants guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, leading to their conviction.
According to Justice Mann, the evidence before the court was “overwhelming” and that the prosecution through its witnesses and Exhibits tendered “established, beyond any reasonable doubt, that the defendants conspired to commit this crime and intentionally caused the death of the victim.”
Following their conviction, their counsel both pleaded that the court to temper justice with mercy, being that the convicts are responsible family men and had been of good conduct in the course of their trial.
Justice Mann exercised his discretion only in respect of the criminal conspiracy by handing out the sentence of three years imprisonment.
However, on the offence of culpable homicide, Justice Mann handed over the mandatory sentence, which is the death penalty as he had no discretion to reduce the penalty.
The case has drawn significant attention, given its prolonged duration since the crime was committed in 2010.
The judgment is seen as a strong statement against violent crimes and resort to self-help by the public in Plateau State and reinforces the commitment of the judiciary to ensuring justice is served.
Legal experts note that the convicts still have the right to appeal the judgment to the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court as the case may be. However, unless a higher court overturns the verdict, the sentence will be carried out as prescribed by law.
