A High Court in Plateau State has sentenced two individuals, Thomas Danboyi and Pam Lang, to death by hanging for their involvement in the killing of Chung Bot.
The ruling, delivered by the state’s Chief Judge, Justice David Gwong Mann, was handed down on Wednesday at the High Court in Jos.
The defendants were found guilty of criminal conspiracy and culpable homicide in the case State vs. Thomas Danboyi & Pam Lang (Charge No. PLD/J112C/2010).
The court ruled that their actions violated the Penal Code Law of Northern Nigeria, 1963, which was applicable in Plateau State at the time of the crime.
According to the prosecution, led by Plateau State Attorney General P.A. Daffi, the incident took place on April 26, 2010, in Tahai Gyel Bukuru, Jos South Local Government Area.
The victim, Chung Bot, was attacked while working on his farmland with his family.
Evidence presented in court revealed that Danboyi restrained the victim while Lang repeatedly struck him on the head with a stick.
Bot later succumbed to his injuries at Plateau Hospital in Jos.
Justice Mann described the evidence as “overwhelming,” stating that the prosecution had proven beyond reasonable doubt that the accused conspired to commit the crime and intentionally caused the victim’s death.
Despite their lawyers’ pleas for leniency, citing their good conduct and family responsibilities, the judge had no discretion in the sentencing for culpable homicide, issuing the mandatory death penalty.
However, he exercised leniency in the conspiracy charge, sentencing them to three years in prison.
The case, which has been ongoing for over a decade, is regarded as a significant reaffirmation of the judiciary’s commitment to justice and a deterrent against violent crimes in Plateau State.
Legal experts note that the convicts have the right to appeal, but unless overturned by a higher court, the sentence will be carried out as mandated by law.