A Plateau State High Court has sentenced Thomas Danboyi and Pam Lang to death by hanging for their role in the murder of Chung Bot.
Chief Judge Justice David Gwong Mann delivered the verdict on Wednesday in Jos, finding the defendants guilty of criminal conspiracy and culpable homicide.
The prosecution, led by Plateau State Attorney General P.A. Daffi, provided evidence showing that the crime occurred on April 26, 2010, in Tahai Gyel Bukuru, Jos South Local Government Area.
The court heard that Bot and his family were working on their farm when the accused, alongside others still at large, launched an attack.
Witness testimony revealed that Danboyi restrained the victim while Lang repeatedly struck him on the head with a stick. Bot was later taken to Plateau Hospital, where he died from his injuries.
Justice Mann ruled that the prosecution had proven the case beyond a reasonable doubt, describing the evidence as conclusive.
Although the defense pleaded for leniency, arguing that the accused were responsible family men who had behaved well during the trial, the court upheld the mandatory death penalty for culpable homicide.
However, the judge exercised discretion in the conspiracy charge, sentencing them to three years in prison.
The case, which has dragged on for years, has drawn widespread attention as a demonstration of the judiciary’s resolve to punish violent crimes.
While the convicts have the right to appeal, the sentence remains in force unless overturned by a higher court.