Eleven persons from Anfani neighborhood in Lavun Local Government Area have actually been sentenced to death by hanging over a land dispute on the orders of a Minna High Court.

The convicts were found guilty on 9 counts brought against them in Niger State.

The court likewise released and acquitted fifteen others arraigned along with the convicted persons for lack of appropriate and diligent prosecution against them.

They were all arrested on the 7th of October 2019 and charged to the Minna High Court by the Office of the Attorney General through the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), for attacking Gaba community a neighbouring village also in Lavun city government.

It would be recalled that the Bida High Court had on the 22nd of September, 2018 given judgement in favour of the Gaba neighborhood over a remaining farmland disagreement and fish ponds belonging to it.

Seven individuals from Gaba neighborhood were allegedly eliminated by some group of individuals from Anfani in December 2018 during a crisis that broke out over the farmland and fish ponds.

Examining the case against them, the presiding judge, Justice Maimuna Talatu Abubakar, asserted that the prosecuting counsel had actually proven beyond reasonable doubt the charges against the eleven convicted persons.

She said, “the very first to the eleven implicated are condemned as charged and they are thus sentenced to death by hanging.”

Justice Abubakar sentenced them to life imprisonment on another count charge and 14 years jail time without the choice of fine in another, declaring that both jail terms shall run simultaneously.

She likewise found the convicts guilty on culpable murder punishable under area 221 of the chastening code which brought in the death sentence, saying,” they were likewise found guilty on count nine which brought life imprisonment and 14 years prison term for conspiracy respectively”.

Earlier, the defence counsel to the implicated individuals, Barrister Lerry Otahagwa had pleaded with the judge to temper justice with mercy while sentencing them.