Reported by Simon Daniel Yusuph l Journalist at Weng Global
A Gombe State High Court has sentenced two men, identified as Buhari Sule and Muktari Ali Hilami, to death by hanging after finding them guilty of armed robbery and the murder of Murtala Rabi’u.
The judgment adds to a series of recent capital-punishment rulings in Gombe State, where High Courts have handed down death sentences in serious homicide cases. However, Weng Global could not independently locate the full judgment or an official court record confirming the specific case involving Sule, Hilami and Rabi’u, so details beyond the information contained in the supplied report should be treated with caution.
Main Development
According to the report provided to Weng Global, the Gombe State High Court found Buhari Sule and Muktari Ali Hilami responsible for offences involving armed robbery and the killing of Murtala Rabi’u.
The court subsequently imposed the death penalty by hanging on both men.
The ruling represents the conclusion of a criminal prosecution in which the defendants were accused of combining robbery with a fatal attack.
Because the available public sources reviewed by Weng Global did not provide the complete judgment in this particular case, details concerning the date and location of the alleged robbery, the circumstances surrounding Rabi’u’s death, the evidence presented during trial and the exact charges on which the defendants were convicted could not be independently confirmed.
Weng Global therefore does not attribute additional details to the court that are not contained in the supplied report or supported by accessible records.
Recent Death Sentences in Gombe
The reported judgment comes amid a series of death sentences handed down by courts in Gombe in recent months.
In April 2026, a Gombe State High Court sitting in Court No. 2 sentenced 18-year-old Mustapha Isah, also known as Abbati, to death by hanging after convicting him of culpable homicide in connection with the death of Aishatu Abdullahi, a 58-year-old woman.
Justice Abdulhamid-Mohammed Yakubu ruled that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt. The court heard that the incident occurred in October 2023 in the Jekadafari area of Gombe.
Earlier in March 2026, the same court sentenced 25-year-old Hassan Mohammed of Falangaya village in Dukku Local Government Area to death by hanging for killing his former wife, Halimatu Sadiya-Adamu. The prosecution said the killing occurred in March 2025.
Another major case occurred in July 2025, when a Gombe High Court sentenced three men — Dauda Mohammed Abubakar, Kabiru Abubakar and Ibrahim Suleiman — to death by hanging over the killing of Ibrahim Yahaya.
The three men were convicted of criminal conspiracy and culpable homicide following a violent incident in Gombe metropolis in April 2022. Justice Haruna Kereng presided over that case.
These cases demonstrate that Gombe courts continue to impose capital sentences in cases where judges find the prosecution has established the required elements of capital offences.
What the Court’s Decision Means
A death sentence is the most severe criminal penalty available under Nigeria’s legal system.
However, a sentence of death by hanging does not necessarily mean that an execution will immediately take place.
Under Nigeria’s constitutional and correctional framework, a death sentence is subject to further legal processes, including the right of appeal. The sentence also requires the appropriate constitutional authority before execution can be carried out.
This distinction is important when reporting capital cases.
A court sentencing an accused person to death is different from an execution actually taking place. The legal process can continue after the trial court has delivered its judgment.
The convicted persons may challenge their convictions or sentences through the appellate courts in accordance with the law.
Evidence and the Burden of Proof
In criminal proceedings, the prosecution carries the burden of proving the case against an accused person beyond reasonable doubt.
That standard was explicitly referenced by the Gombe High Court in the April 2026 murder case involving Mustapha Isah. Justice Yakubu said the prosecution had successfully established that the accused intentionally caused the victim’s death.
The same legal principle applies broadly to criminal trials in Nigeria.
For the Buhari Sule and Muktari Ali Hilami case, however, the specific reasoning of the judge could not be independently reviewed from a publicly accessible judgment during Weng Global’s research.
It would therefore be inappropriate to attribute particular findings of evidence to the court without access to the judgment or an authoritative report of the proceedings.
The Armed Robbery and Murder Allegations
The supplied report identifies the offences as armed robbery and murder.
These are serious criminal allegations because they involve both unlawful taking of property through violence or threat and the unlawful killing of another person.
Where robbery results in death, Nigerian criminal law can impose severe penalties upon conviction, depending on the precise offences established by the prosecution and the applicable law.
The distinction between an allegation and a conviction remains important.
Sule and Hilami should therefore be described as convicted persons following the reported court judgment, rather than merely as suspects, provided the reported judgment is accurate.
At the same time, details about the underlying crime should not be expanded beyond the verified record.
Broader Context of Capital Punishment in Nigeria
Nigeria retains the death penalty for certain serious offences, although executions have been relatively uncommon compared with the number of death sentences handed down by courts.
This has created a distinction between the number of people sentenced to death and the number actually executed.
A March 2026 report by Leadership, republished through AllAfrica, examined the growing number of death sentences across Nigeria and identified several Gombe cases among those recorded over the preceding year. It reported that five people had received death sentences in two separate Gombe cases during that period.
The report identified the December 2025 sentencing of Sulei Yerima and Shedrack Aliyu Kwan by a Gombe High Court over a homicide case, as well as the July 2025 sentencing of three men over the killing of Ibrahim Yahaya.
The figures illustrate the continuing use of capital punishment at the sentencing stage even amid broader national and international debate over the death penalty.
Why the Case Matters
The reported judgment is significant for Gombe because it concerns a combination of violent crime and loss of life.
For communities affected by armed robbery and violent crime, convictions in serious cases can provide a sense that the justice system has responded to criminal conduct.
At the same time, death-penalty cases carry a particularly high requirement for due process because an irreversible punishment is involved.
That makes access to a full and reasoned judgment especially important.
A transparent judicial record allows the public to understand the evidence considered by the court, the legal provisions applied and the reasoning behind the sentence.
It also provides the convicted persons and their legal representatives with the basis for any appeal.
Human Impact
Behind the legal terminology is the death of Murtala Rabi’u, whose reported killing is at the centre of the case.
Criminal proceedings can sometimes focus heavily on the defendants and the eventual punishment, but the victim and the victim’s family remain central to the consequences of violent crime.
A murder conviction cannot undo the loss of life.
The criminal justice process is instead intended to determine responsibility according to law and, where guilt is established, impose the punishment prescribed by the relevant legislation.
For the family of Rabi’u, the reported judgment represents an important development in a case involving the loss of their relative.
What Happens Next?
The immediate next stage will depend on whether Buhari Sule and Muktari Ali Hilami exercise their legal rights to appeal the convictions or sentences.
If an appeal is filed, a higher court may review aspects of the trial, including questions concerning evidence, procedure, interpretation of the law and the appropriateness of the sentence.
The reported death sentences therefore mark the end of the trial-stage proceedings but not necessarily the end of the legal process.
No information was available in the sources reviewed by Weng Global indicating whether the two men have filed or intend to file an appeal.
The authorities would also have to follow the applicable legal procedures before any death sentence could be carried out.
Gombe’s Continuing Criminal Justice Challenge
The case also highlights the wider challenge facing the criminal justice system in northern Nigeria, where courts continue to deal with cases involving murder, armed robbery and other serious offences.
Recent Gombe judgments show that courts are actively prosecuting major homicide cases.
In April 2026, for example, the High Court sentenced Mustapha Isah to death after a murder conviction, while another death sentence was handed down in March against Hassan Mohammed for killing his former wife.
The convictions demonstrate the courts’ willingness to impose the maximum punishment where they find that capital offences have been proved.
But effective justice also depends on the broader criminal justice system — including professional investigations, reliable evidence, fair trials, competent legal representation and functioning appellate procedures.
What Readers Should Know
The reported Gombe judgment means that Buhari Sule and Muktari Ali Hilami have been sentenced to death by hanging following their reported convictions for armed robbery and the murder of Murtala Rabi’u.
However, the sentence should not be confused with an immediate execution.
The men remain entitled to whatever appellate and other legal procedures are available to them under Nigerian law.
Weng Global’s review found credible reporting confirming that Gombe courts have recently imposed several death sentences in separate murder cases, but it did not find a publicly accessible primary record independently confirming all the details of the specific Sule and Hilami case.
That distinction is important for responsible reporting, particularly in a capital case where accuracy and due process are critical.
Weng Global – stories beyond borders
Sources
- Gombe State High Court — reported judicial proceedings
- The Punch — reports on recent Gombe death-sentence cases
- Leadership — reporting on death sentences in Nigeria
- AllAfrica — publication of Leadership’s report on Nigeria’s death row
