A Gombe State High Court has sentenced six men to various prison terms for grave exhumation and ritual-related offences in Gadam village, Kwami Local Government Area.
Justice Abdulsalam Mohammed of High Court number 8 delivered the judgement after the accused were arraigned on a 10-count charge, including criminal conspiracy, attempt to commit an offence, desecration of a corpse and grave, unlawful entry into a graveyard, theft, operating an illegal society, use of unlawful juju, and unlawful possession of human body parts.
Those convicted are Mohammed Isah (Chindo), Kawuni Sarki, Manu Saleh, Umar Jibrin (Daddy), and Adamu Nasiru. Another suspect, Abdullahi Umar Dauda, is still at large and facing trial.
The prosecution informed the court that on September 11, 2025, the accused conspired with two other suspects, Aliyu Baka and Reuben, who are yet to be apprehended, to commit the offences.
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According to the prosecution, the suspects unlawfully entered the Muslim cemetery in Gadam at night and exhumed the grave of the late Malam Manu Wanzam, after which they removed his eyes for ritual purposes.
The accused were also said to have attempted to exhume another grave the same night.
Ahmed Yakubu, the state counsel, told the court that the offences contravened several sections of the penal code law, including 96, 95, 218, 213, 286, 335, 306, 97A, 97B, 216, and 219.
During proceedings, the accused pleaded guilty to certain counts, and the prosecution urged the court to summarily try them for those charges under the Gombe State administration of criminal justice law.
Justice Mohammed, considering their guilty pleas, sentenced Mohammed Isah (Chindo), Kawuni Sarki, Manu Saleh, Umar Jibrin (Daddy) and Adamu Nasiru to six months imprisonment under section 218.They were further sentenced to one year on another count.
For theft, Mohammed Isah, Kawuni Sarki, and Adamu Nasiru received additional two-year sentences. The court also imposed a six-month term on them on a separate count.
The sentences are to run consecutively, resulting in five years imprisonment each for Mohammed Isah and Kawuni Sarki, two years and six months each for Manu Saleh and Umar Jibrin, and four years and six months for Adamu Nasiru.
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