Guard, cook sentenced to death for murder of ex-Katsina commissioner

The Katsina State High Court has sentenced two men to death for the murder of a former Commissioner for Science and Technology in the state, Dr. Rabe Nasir.

Nasir, 61, was killed on December 8, 2021 at his residence in Fatima Shema Estate, Katsina metropolis.

Justice Ibrahim Mashi, who presided over the case at High Court 9 in Katsina, on Wednesday found Shamsu Lawal, a former guard of the deceased, and Tasi’u Rabi’u, a former cook, guilty of poisoning Nasir, leading to his death.

According to the prosecution, the duo resorted to poisoning the former commissioner after failed attempts to steal from him.

A joint autopsy conducted by the police and hospital confirmed the presence of poison in Nasir’s body.

The court also sentenced another former guard of the deceased, Sani Sa’adu, to five years in prison for concealing the truth about the murder.

On the other hand, the court acquitted a lady named Gift Bako due to a lack of sufficient evidence linking her to the crime.

Lawyer for the convicts, Ahmad Murtala Kankia, pleaded for leniency, emphasising that “the convicts have families and dependents.

The late Nasir served as the Commissioner for Science and Technology in Katsina State during the administration of former Governor Aminu Masari.

The deceased was also a former federal legislator representing Mani and Bindawa local governments in 2003.