Kano Court Acquits Man Charged With Murder, Orders Continued Psychiatric Treatment
Firdaus Obiremi
A Kano State High Court has acquitted a 35-year-old man, Inusa Rabo, charged with the murder of a 55-year-old man, Sa’idu Haruna, after ruling that the prosecution failed to establish the case beyond reasonable doubt.
The court, presided over by Justice Fatima Adamu, delivered the judgment on Wednesday, discharging and acquitting Rabo, who resides in Kadawa Quarters, Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area of Kano State.
However, the judge ordered the defendant’s relatives to sign an undertaking to ensure that he continues receiving psychiatric treatment at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Dawanau, Kano, and takes his medication regularly.
Justice Adamu said the evidence presented before the court, particularly the testimony of a psychiatrist, Dr Adamu Aliyu, established that the defendant had a history of mental illness.
She stressed that the court had a responsibility to protect society while ensuring that justice was served in accordance with the law.
“The defendant is hereby discharged and acquitted on the one-count charge of culpable homicide preferred against him,” the judge ruled.
The News Agency of Nigeria reported that the prosecution had accused Rabo of killing Haruna on September 1, 2024, at Kadawa Quarters, Kano.
Prosecution counsel, Hafsat Ada’u-Kutama, told the court that the defendant allegedly struck the deceased on the head with a stick at about 1:50 pm on the day of the incident.
According to her, the injury sustained by Haruna prompted his evacuation to the Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital, Kano, where he was confirmed dead.
The prosecution alleged that the offence contravened Section 221 of the Penal Code.
To establish its case, the prosecution called three witnesses and tendered three exhibits before the court.
Rabo, however, denied committing the offence.
His defence counsel, Haruna Saleh-Zakariyya, called the defendant and two other witnesses to testify and tendered three exhibits, including a medical certificate indicating that Rabo had a history of mental illness spanning more than 10 years.
During his testimony, Dr Aliyu, a psychiatrist at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Dawanau, told the court that he had been treating the defendant for over a decade.
The medical evidence formed part of the materials considered by the court in reaching its decision.
Justice Adamu also commended Saleh-Zakariyya for handling the case pro bono and for ensuring that a medical expert was presented to assist the court in examining the defendant’s mental health history.
She urged other legal practitioners to emulate the defence counsel by handling cases diligently and professionally.
The judge’s order requiring the defendant’s relatives to ensure continued psychiatric care underscores the court’s directive that his treatment and medication must be maintained following his acquittal.
PLATFORM TIMES reports that the court discharged and acquitted Rabo after finding that the prosecution had not proved the charge of culpable homicide beyond reasonable doubt.
