Niger CJ orders death by hanging for man who burned his mother to death

Stephen Jiya, who burned his biological mother on fire and caused her to hang, has been condemned by a Minna High Court 1 presided over by Justice Halima Ibrahim Abdulmalik, the Chief Judge (CJ) of Niger State.

The offender was found guilty of culpable homicide, which is punishable under Section 221 of the penal code law, the Chief Justice declared in her verdict.

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You may remember that on December 20, 2021, Jiya, a resident of the Suleja area of the state, went to see Comfort Jiya, a retired director in the Niger State Ministry of Education who lived in Dutsen-Kura, Minna, and used a bottle of petrol he discovered in her kitchen to light her on fire.

The mother was taken by her neighbours to the General Hospital Minna, where she eventually passed away from her wounds. Afterwards, she was moved to another hospital.

The state Criminal Intelligence Department (SCID) of the Police Command promptly selected the defendant for questioning. During his confession, the defendant claimed that he killed his mother because she was interfering with his marital problems.

Before receiving legal counsel from the office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) for appropriate prosecution in a suitable court, Jiya was previously charged with a misdemeanour by SCID agents before a magistrate court.

On September 14, 2022, in front of Justice Halima Abdulmalik of High Court 1, the DPP formally charged him under Section 221 of the Penal Code Law, which carries the death penalty in the event of a conviction.

Judge Abdulmalik set the final date of the matter’s ruling at December 13, 2023, after the hearing began on November 23, 2022.

Judge Abdulmalik stated in her decision on Wednesday that she was persuaded by all of the prosecution’s witness testimony and that the prosecution had proven the case against the defendant beyond a reasonable doubt.

She stated that the prosecutor had proved all of the offences against the convicted person, and all of the evidence and prosecution witnesses who appeared in court could demonstrate that the convicted person was the one who killed his mother.

“I hereby find you, Stephen Jiya, guilty of the offence of culpable homicide, which is contrary to Section 221 of the penal code,” she said, saying that “on the whole, the prosecution has proved its case beyond reasonable doubt against the defendant.”

“The court has sentenced you to be hanged by your neck, electrocuted, executed, or injected with a lethal injection until you pass away, and may the Lord have mercy on your soul in the circumstances.”

Six witnesses in all, including his younger sister and two family members, testified against him during the trial.