Man sentenced to death by hanging for beheading his son for N1 million in Adawawa

An Adamawa High Court sitting in Yola on Wednesday, November 18, sentenced a cattle rearer, Bappa Alti, to death by hanging for killing his 5-year-old son for N1 million. 

The state High Court VII presided over by Justice Fatima Ahmed Tafida, convicted Bappa for causing the death of his son by hitting him with a rearing stick and thereafter chopping off his head with a cutlass.

The convict who was 24 as at the time of the incident, lured his son, Buba, to the farm on July 13, 2013 in Ganji suburb of Gombi Local Government of Adamawa State and beheaded him. 

When the convict’s father, Alhaji Guza enquired the whereabouts of his grandson, Bappa told him that he left the child behind in the farm and he would return later.

Days rolled by and the boy did not return from the farm which made Alhaji Guza to lodge a complaint at the Gombi divisional police station where a search party was commissioned.

The search led to the discovery of the beheaded decomposing body of Buba under a tree in the farm covered with leaves. Baffa was later arrested and on interrogation, he claimed that one Alhaji Sange Hassan, told him to bring a human head for N1 million.

He confessed to committing the act, saying he intended using the money to raise the status of his father, mother and his family. Alhaji Hassan, however, denied the allegation, insisting that it was a set up aimed at blackmailing his person. 

Bappa Alti was earlier arraigned before court for culpable homicide punishable with death contrary to section 221 of the penal code law.

After evaluating all the evidences which include the severed head of the deceased, the cutlass used to cut off the head, and voluntary confessional statement of the accused, the presiding Judge declared that without iota of doubt, the suspect actually masterminded the killing of his son thereby committing an offence contrary to section 221 of the penal code law and therefore sentenced him to death by hanging.

Justice Fatima Ahmed Tafida, stated that the prosecution has proved beyond reasonable doubt that the death had occurred, and it was the defendant that caused his son’s death by hitting him and subsequently beheading the deceased with a cutlass.