LACON GIVING VOICE TO THE VOICELESS IN NIGER STATE

On the 10th day of September 2024 in the High Court of Justice No.4 Niger State Holden in Minna, In the case of State V. Yakubu Musa Dabbai NSHS/MN/17C/2021, the defendant was DISCHARGED AND ACQUITTED of the offence of Homicide not Punishable with death.

The brief facts of the case are that the defendant was involved in a fight with the deceased, the deceased used his knife and stabbed the defendant on his shoulder, the defendant removed the knife in self defence and stabbed the deceased on his hip. The deceased died afterwards, but the defendant survived and was taken to hospital.

The defendant was arrested the next day and was charged to court for the above-mentioned offence.
The learned trial judge resolved the 2 issues for determination raised by the Defence Counsel, (Barrister Abigail Labesa of the LACoN Office in Minna), in favour of the Defendant.

He held that the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt when it couldn’t prove that the deceased died as a result of the injuries inflicted by the Defendant.

The judge also held that the defence of self-defense availed the defendant as he raised it at the earliest opportunity in his statement before the police and also in his testimony before the court.