A Nigerian Army officer, Private Lukman Musa, has been sentenced to death by hanging for the murder of a commercial tricycle rider, Abdulrahman Isa, in Bauchi State.
The verdict was delivered on Thursday by a General Court Martial sitting at Maxwell Khobe Cantonment, 3 Division Headquarters, Jos, Plateau State. The panel was chaired by Brigadier General Liafis Bello.
According to court proceedings, Musa connived with an accomplice, identified only as Oba, to lure the victim under the guise of assisting him in moving personal belongings. The soldier was said to have struck Isa on the head with a wooden object before strangling him to death.
The court further heard that Musa dumped the victim’s remains in a sack along the Shira–Yala axis and later sold off the tricycle. He was also found with 34 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition in his possession without authorisation.
Delivering judgment, Brig. Gen. Bello described the soldier’s conduct as “barbaric, heartless and a betrayal of military values,” stressing that the Army would not condone acts that undermine its constitutional responsibility of safeguarding citizens.
“You mercilessly metamorphosed from a defender of citizens to a killer. Your action is an embarrassment and disgrace to the Nigerian Army,” Bello declared.
On the charge of culpable homicide, Musa was sentenced to death by hanging under Section 220 of the Penal Code, punishable under Section 221. He also bagged two years’ imprisonment for unlawful possession of ammunition and was dismissed from service with ignominy.
Reacting to the ruling, the Acting Deputy Director of Legal Services, 3 Division, Major Aminu Mairuwa, said the outcome reinforces the Army’s zero tolerance for indiscipline and criminality.
“This judgment demonstrates the Nigerian Army’s resolve to ensure no personnel operates outside the law or laid down standard operating procedures,” Mairuwa said.
