Katsina Court Sentences Guard, Cook to Death for Killing Ex-Commissioner

A Katsina State High Court has sentenced two men to death for the 2021 murder of Dr. Rabe Nasir, former Commissioner for Science and Technology. The convicts, Shamsu Lawal—who once served as Nasir’s guard—and Tasi’u Rabi’u, his cook, were found guilty of poisoning the late commissioner at his Fatima Shema Housing Estate residence after failed attempts to rob him.

Presiding over High Court 9, Justice Ibrahim Mashi held that evidence presented by the prosecution, including a police-hospital joint autopsy confirming Nasir was poisoned, proved the duo’s guilt beyond reasonable doubt. Their actions, the court found, led directly to the commissioner’s gruesome death in December 2021.

Another former guard, Sani Sa’adu, was handed a five-year prison term for concealing information pertinent to the crime. However, a female defendant, Gift Bako, was acquitted for lack of sufficient evidence linking her to the murder.

Legal counsel for the convicts, Ahmad Murtala Kankia, pleaded for leniency, stressing their family responsibilities, but the plea did not sway the court’s decision.

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Dr. Nasir, a seasoned public servant, had previously represented Mani/Bindawa Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives and was known for his roles in Nigeria’s security and anti-corruption agencies. His killing sent shockwaves across Katsina State and was widely condemned by national leaders.

Residents recall that the late commissioner’s body was discovered locked inside his house after he failed to answer calls, with investigations later confirming the poisoning.

The judgment marks the culmination of a high-profile trial and brings some closure to a case that rattled Katsina’s political and social landscape.