By Sabiu Abdullahi
The Sokoto State High Court has sentenced Ibrahim Usman, popularly known as Dan Iyali, to death for his involvement in the kidnapping and killing of three people in the state.
Usman was convicted in a case prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS) over an incident that occurred in September 2023.
He was arraigned alongside other suspects who remain at large.
The charges against him included criminal conspiracy, kidnapping, culpable homicide punishable with death and voluntarily causing grievous hurt without provocation.
The DSS described the conviction as another death sentence secured against a suspect linked to kidnapping and killings in Sokoto State.
The latest judgement comes months after another Sokoto State High Court sentenced three men, including a Nigerien national, to death by hanging over terrorism-related offences and illegal arms trafficking.
The three men were identified as Yusuf Muhammad, also known as Sallau, a Niger Republic national; Jabbi Alhaji Yalle; and Kabiru Muhammad.
DSS operatives arrested the men on June 13, 2025, over allegations of involvement in cross-border arms smuggling and terrorist activities.
In a judgement delivered in suit number SS/45C/2026, the court convicted the three men and ordered the forfeiture of money recovered from them to the Federal Government.
