A High Court in Plateau State has sentenced Emmanuel Ude, a student of Government Technical College Bukuru (BUTECHS), to death by hanging for killing his teacher, Job Dashe, over a dispute related to dining hall rules.
The judgment, delivered on Monday, found Ude guilty of culpable homicide under Sections 221 and 222 of the Plateau State Penal Code, which prescribe the death penalty for such offences.
The incident occurred in July 2021 at the school in Jos South Local Government Area.
According to one account, Mr. Dashe, who was on duty as a school official, confronted Ude and asked him to open his food flask on suspicion that he had obtained food illegally. When Ude refused, he reportedly left the dining area, returned with a knife, and fatally stabbed the teacher in the chest before fleeing. Mr. Dashe was rushed to a hospital but was later confirmed dead.
Another account of the incident claimed that Ude, then 17 years old, carried out the fatal attack after being flogged by the teacher for arriving late to the cafeteria during breakfast and lunch periods.
The victim, a Physics teacher and University of Jos graduate, had recently married in November 2020 and was expecting a child at the time of his death.
Ude was arrested by police following an investigation and made a confessional statement at the State Criminal Investigation Department, which was accepted as a key piece of evidence in court.
The prosecution, led by Nansil Mbah and Solomon Deme from the Plateau State Ministry of Justice, argued that Ude’s actions were premeditated and deliberate. The trial lasted nearly four years.
While defence counsel Josil Drinkat appealed to the court to show mercy, citing Ude’s remorse, Justice Silas Bakfur stated that the law provided no room for leniency in such a case.
“The prosecution has proved its case beyond reasonable doubt. The hands of the court are tied; I can only do what the law prescribes in such a situation,” the judge said.
Ude was thereafter sentenced to death by hanging until certified dead.
