Nigerian Army Private Sentenced to Death for Murder of Tricycle Rider
From Our Correspondent.
A General Court Martial at Maxwell Khobe Cantonment in Jos has sentenced Private Lukman Musa of the Nigerian Army’s 3rd Division to death by hanging for the murder of tricycle rider Abdulrahman Isa in Bauchi State.
The ruling was announced on Thursday, September 18, 2025, by Brigadier General Liafis Bello, who presided over the court.
Musa was found guilty of murder, culpable homicide, and unlawful possession of ammunition.
Court proceedings revealed that he, along with an accomplice named Oba, lured Isa to his residence under the pretense of helping him move his belongings.
Once there, Musa struck Isa on the head with a wooden object and subsequently strangled him to death. To conceal the crime, Musa placed Isa’s body in a sack and disposed of it between the villages of Shira and Yala, later selling the victim’s tricycle.
Further investigation uncovered that Musa was unlawfully in possession of 34 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition.
In his judgment, Brigadier General Bello condemned Musa’s actions as “barbaric and heartless,” emphasizing that the soldier had failed in his duty to protect lives.
“You have mercilessly transformed from a defender of citizens into a killer. Your actions are an embarrassment and disgrace to the Nigerian Army,” Bello stated.
Musa’s conviction was made under Section 220 of the Penal Code, with the death sentence enacted according to Section 221.
