Man To Lose Hand For Cutting Off 14-Year-Old Boy’s Hand In Gombe
A Gombe State High Court has ordered that the right hand of one Abdullahi Suleiman be amputated as punishment for using a machete to cut-off the hand of a 14-year-old boy, Khalifa Abubakar in February 2022.
The incident occurred on February 12, 2022 at Moddibo village in Yamaltu Deba Local Government Area of the state during a wedding ceremony that escalated into a brawl.
The groom had asked everyone to leave the venue due to the commotion, but as people were leaving, Abdullahi, a resident of Wajari village, used a machete to disperse the crowd along with other youths.
According to the police, it was when the victim stopped to pick up his shoe that fell while running that Abdullahi struck him with the machete resulting in the complete severance of the boy’s right hand.
The court was told that Khalifa was rushed to Federal Teaching Hospital Gombe, where doctors treated his amputated hand.
Following the incident, Khalifa’s family reported the incident to Deba police station, and the accused was subsequently taken to court.
It was when Abdullahi was granted bail that the state government took over the case.
The government through its Counsel, Y.G. Ahmad, filed a fresh suit before High Court 5, presided by Justice A.M. Haruna.
During the trial, the court received testimonies from five prosecution witnesses, including Khalifa, who confirmed that Abdullahi was responsible for the attack.
Among the witnesses, three were eyewitnesses who also testified that Abdullahi struck Khalifa during the fracas. The medical doctor who treated Khalifa was also provided evidence regarding the nature of the injury and the treatment provided.
On the side of the defendant, Abdullahi presented two witnesses. His counsel, Y.A. Waziri, requested that the court allow them to provide Khalifa with a prosthetic hand as restitution.
After evaluating the evidences, Justice Haruna found Abdullahi Suleiman guilty of the charge.
He acknowledged that the accused had shown remorse and pleaded for forgiveness, but rejected the plea to provide Khalifa with a prosthetic hand as restitution.
The court ruled that Abdullahi’s right hand should be amputated in addition to two years’ imprisonment or a fine of N50,000.
He was also ordered to pay N134,540 as compensation for Khalifa’s medical expenses.
