Court jails Kano driver 15 years for killing traffic officer

A Kano State High Court sentenced 27-year-old Kassim Hussain to 15 years in prison on Wednesday for killing a Kano Road Traffic Agency officer, Tijjani Adamu Gambo, who was attempting to remove his vehicle’s licence plate.

The court also imposed a fine of N500,000, with an additional five-year jail term if Hussain fails to pay the fine.
Presiding Judge, Justice Maryam Sabo, ruled that the sentences will run concurrently and commence from the date of Hussain’s arrest.

According to the prosecution, represented by Barrister Mahdi Aliyu Abdulrahman from the Kano State Ministry of Justice, Hussain committed culpable homicide on October 29, 2021, around 10:00 am on Airport Road, opposite Eldorado Cinema in Nassarawa Local Government Area.

The charge stated that he intentionally struck Gambo with his car to evade arrest and prevent the removal of his licence plate.

“That you, Kassim Hussain, 27, on or about the 29th of October 2021 at about 10:00 hours at Airport Road, opposite Eldorado Cinema in Nassarawa Local Government Area, within the Judicial Division of this Honourable Court, committed culpable homicide with death, in that you caused the death of one Tijjani Adamu Gambo, a Kano Road Traffic Agency (KAROTA) personnel who was on duty, by doing an act to wit, you knocked him down and ran over him with your car in order to prevent him from removing your licence plate or taking you to their office. And thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 221 of the Penal Code (CAP 105) Laws of Kano State 1991,” the charge read.

To support their case, the prosecution called five witnesses and submitted various exhibits, including a medical certificate, photographs of the deceased, and statements recorded during the investigation.

Among the prosecution witnesses presented were Adamu Gambo Unguwa Uku, the father of the deceased, Suleiman Shehu Ismail, KAROTA personnel at Eldorado Cinema, Dr Ibrahim, who examined the deceased and confirmed his death, and the Investigative Police Officer who recorded the statement of the defendant.

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The summary of the evidence by the prosecution counsel informed the court that on October 29, 2019, the convict, in his attempt to escape from arrest by KAROTA personnel, hit the deceased with his car, an action that led to his death.

On his part, the defence counsel, Barrister Felix Jones Osimerha, presented Kassim Hussain, who defended himself as a sole defence witness.

The defendant was charged under Section 221 of the Penal Code, punishable with a death sentence.

Consequently, however, after hearing and considering the witnesses and exhibits presented during the trial, the presiding judge, Justice Maryam Sabo, found the defendant guilty under Section 222 of the Penal Code, culpable homicide not punishable by death.

The court convicted and accordingly sentenced Kassim Hussain under Section 224 of the Penal Code, not punishable with death.

Section 224 states that whoever commits culpable homicide not punishable by death shall be punished with imprisonment for life, or any lesser term with a fine, or both.