A High Court in Sokoto State has sentenced Ibrahim Usman, also known as Dan Iyali, to death for his involvement in the kidnapping and killing of three people in the state.
Usman was convicted following a case prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS) over an incident that occurred in September 2023.
He was arraigned before the state’s High Court alongside other suspects who are currently at large.
The charges against them included criminal conspiracy, kidnapping, culpable homicide punishable with death and voluntarily causing grievous hurt without provocation.
The DSS said the conviction marked another death penalty secured against a suspect linked to kidnapping and killings in the state.
The development comes months after a Sokoto High Court sentenced three men, including a Nigerien national, to death by hanging over terrorism-related offences and illegal arms trafficking.
The three convicts 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 their alleged involvement in cross-border arms smuggling and terrorist activities.
In a judgement delivered in suit number SS/45C/2026, the court found the three men guilty and ordered the forfeiture of money recovered from them to the federal government.