By Ikugbadi Oluwasegun
A General Court Martial sitting at Maxwell Khobe Cantonment, Jos, has sentenced Private Lukman Musa of the 3 Division, Nigerian Army, to death by hanging for the murder of a tricycle (Keke) rider, Abdulrahman Isa, in Bauchi State.
The verdict, delivered on Thursday, September 18, 2025, by the court’s president, Brigadier General Liafis Bello, found Musa guilty of murder, culpable homicide, and unlawful possession of ammunition.
Court proceedings revealed that Musa, alongside an accomplice identified as Oba, lured Isa to his residence under the guise of helping him move his belongings. He then struck Isa on the head with a wooden object before strangling him to death. To conceal the crime, Musa stuffed the victim’s body in a sack and dumped it between Shira and Yala villages, while Isa’s tricycle was later sold.
Musa was also found in possession of 34 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition without authorization.
In his ruling, Gen. Bello described Musa’s actions as “barbaric and heartless,” noting that he had betrayed the Army’s duty to safeguard citizens.
“You mercilessly metamorphosed from a defender of citizens to a killer. Your action is an embarrassment and disgrace to the Nigerian Army,” Bello declared.
The soldier was sentenced under Section 220 of the Penal Code and will face death by hanging as stipulated under Section 221.
