- Welcome to Attaqwaa.org.
Posted by Abdulwahid
- Mar 30, 2026, 03:31 AMA Taraba State High Court in Jalingo has sentenced a 27-year-old Islamic cleric, Mallam Mubarak Hassan, to 15 years in prison for the killing of a 16-year-old boy, Mustapha Ishyaku. The incident happened in Mutum Biyu, located in Gassol Local Government Area of Taraba State. The judgment brought an end to a case that started in 2022 after the cleric was arrested by the police.
The judgment was delivered on Friday, March 27, 2026, by the Chief Judge of Taraba State, Justice Joel Agya. The court found Mubarak Hassan guilty of culpable homicide not punishable by death and sentenced him to 15 years imprisonment without the option of a fine. The court also ruled that the prison sentence would start counting from March 3, 2022, the day he was arrested.
According to the court, the cleric was responsible for the death of the teenage boy, which led to his conviction. However, the judge carefully reviewed all the evidence presented by both the prosecution and the defence before giving the final judgment. The court maintained that the punishment was based on the proven charge of culpable homicide.
The court also cleared Mubarak Hassan of the charges of abduction and kidnapping. Justice Agya discharged and acquitted him on those charges because the prosecution could not prove them beyond reasonable doubt. This means the court did not find enough evidence to support the claim that the victim was kidnapped or abducted before the killing.
The case, titled State vs Mubarak Hassan, was filed on June 20, 2022, by the Office of the Attorney General of Taraba State. The charges were based on the Taraba State Kidnapping and Abduction Prohibition Law of 2019 and the Penal Code Law of Taraba State. The prosecution had earlier claimed that the victim was killed and buried in a shallow grave in Dankuturu area of Mutum Biyu.
During the trial, the defence team argued that the police did not conduct a proper investigation and that important witnesses were not called to testify in court. They also referred to sections of the Penal Code and the Evidence Act to support their argument. In the end, the court relied on the available evidence to convict the cleric for culpable homicide while dismissing the kidnapping and abduction charges due to lack of sufficient proof.
Source:
The judgment was delivered on Friday, March 27, 2026, by the Chief Judge of Taraba State, Justice Joel Agya. The court found Mubarak Hassan guilty of culpable homicide not punishable by death and sentenced him to 15 years imprisonment without the option of a fine. The court also ruled that the prison sentence would start counting from March 3, 2022, the day he was arrested.
According to the court, the cleric was responsible for the death of the teenage boy, which led to his conviction. However, the judge carefully reviewed all the evidence presented by both the prosecution and the defence before giving the final judgment. The court maintained that the punishment was based on the proven charge of culpable homicide.
The court also cleared Mubarak Hassan of the charges of abduction and kidnapping. Justice Agya discharged and acquitted him on those charges because the prosecution could not prove them beyond reasonable doubt. This means the court did not find enough evidence to support the claim that the victim was kidnapped or abducted before the killing.
The case, titled State vs Mubarak Hassan, was filed on June 20, 2022, by the Office of the Attorney General of Taraba State. The charges were based on the Taraba State Kidnapping and Abduction Prohibition Law of 2019 and the Penal Code Law of Taraba State. The prosecution had earlier claimed that the victim was killed and buried in a shallow grave in Dankuturu area of Mutum Biyu.
During the trial, the defence team argued that the police did not conduct a proper investigation and that important witnesses were not called to testify in court. They also referred to sections of the Penal Code and the Evidence Act to support their argument. In the end, the court relied on the available evidence to convict the cleric for culpable homicide while dismissing the kidnapping and abduction charges due to lack of sufficient proof.
Source: