A man was found guilty of murdering his 17-year-old neighbor for monetary ritual purposes, and he was condemned to death by hanging in the Nigerian city of Bauchi

Musa Hamza, who was found guilty of murdering Adamu Ibrahim, 17, in a trial held in the High Court of Bauchi State, was given the death penalty.

On December 21, 2022, in the Alkaleri Local Government Area of Bauchi, Hamza, 23 years old, was arrested for the brutal murder of the deceased.

He admitted his guilt voluntarily, stating he committed the crime after being instructed by a ritualist to procure the eyes for the sake of a ritual that would make him wealthy.

After finding him guilty, the court presided over by Justice Faruq Umar Sarki handed him a death sentence by hanging.

After being found guilty of murdering the teenager, slashing his neck, plucking out his two eyes, placing the eyeballs in a bottle, and burying his head and body in separate locations, Justice Faruq Umar gave the judgement and announced the sentence.

The convict was charged with murder, a capital offense under Section 221 of the Penal Code, by attorneys for the State Ministry of Justice, namely Mohammed Y. Ibrahim, Salihu A. Haruna, and Ali S. Yusuf.

The state's attorneys claimed that Musa Hamza, a resident of the Alkaleri Local Government Area of Bauchi state, had lured the victim into a nearby jungle and killed him.

While no one was looking, he beat him with the stick, severed his head, removed his eyes, and buried his body in two separate spots.

At the outset of the trial, the suspect rejected the charge against him, but eventually accepted his guilt.

In court, the prosecution questioned six witnesses to bolster its case, while the defense called only one, the accused.

According to the prosecution's evidence, the boy's father filed a complaint after his son failed to return home that day, and the father later learned that the boy had been spotted with the defendant and that the three of them had gone out for dinner together later that evening.

They also stated that they did not quarrel or insult each other, and that one of them left the accused and the deceased together, but when the suspect was questioned, he claimed that he had also departed.

It was only after his arrest that police searched his room and discovered the victim's phone and Sim card there. This led to further questioning and a confession from the suspect.

He claimed that he had taken the victim into the woods, killed him, severed his head, removed his eyes, and then led the police to the spot where he had buried the body.

He claimed that he left them at home after putting them in a bottle, prompting the question, "Where are the eyes?"

After removing the eyes, police transported the body to Alkaleri General Hospital, where a doctor confirmed the man's death.

Lawyer Mahmud Maidoki did not succeed in defending his client.

The Presiding Judge, Justice Umar Faruq Sarki, stated that the court found him guilty based on the testimony of the witnesses and the confession statement of the accused because the accused committed the crime of murder with intent. Justice Faruq Umar also refused to agree to the accused's request for leniency and sentenced him to death by hanging as provided for in sections 273 and 221 of the Penal code laws.