Court Finally Takes Action Against Guard and Cook Who Killed Ex-Katsina Commissioner by Poisoning

• Two former domestic workers, a guard and a cook, have been sentenced to death by hanging for poisoning and killing ex-Katsina Commissioner Rabe Nasir in 2021
• The court also sentenced another former guard to five years in prison for concealing information, while a female defendant was acquitted for lack of evidence
• Defence counsel pleaded for leniency, but the judgment marks the end of a widely followed case that shocked Katsina state

Katsina state - The Katsina state High Court has sentenced two former domestic workers to death by hanging for the 2021 murder of a former Commissioner for Science and Technology in Katsina state, Rabe Nasir.

Delivering the judgment on Wednesday, July 30, at High Court 9 in Katsina, Justice Ibrahim Mashi found Shamsu Lawal, a former security guard, and Tasi’u Rabi’u, a cook, guilty of poisoning the late commissioner.

According to the prosecution, Lawal and Rabi’u conspired to kill their boss after repeated failed attempts to rob him.

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They eventually resorted to lacing his food with poison, which led to his death.

A joint autopsy carried out by police investigators and medical personnel confirmed the presence of a poisonous substance in Nasir’s system.

Court also convicts another for concealment

In the same ruling, the court handed a five-year prison sentence to another former guard of the deceased, Sani Sa’adu, for concealing vital information about the murder.

However, a fourth defendant, Gift Bako, was discharged and acquitted due to insufficient evidence linking her to the crime.

Defence pleads for mercy

Counsel to the convicted men, Ahmad Murtala Kankia, appealed to the court for leniency, noting that the men have dependents.

“The convicts have families and people who rely on them. We urge the court to temper justice with mercy,” Kankia pleaded.

Rabe Nasir: A life of service cut short

The late Rabe Nasir was a respected figure in Katsina state.

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He served as Commissioner for Science and Technology under the administration of former Governor Aminu Bello Masari.

Earlier in his political career, he represented Mani and Bindawa federal constituencies in the National Assembly in 2003.

His death in 2021 shocked the state and sparked public outrage, with many calling for a thorough investigation.

The sentencing brings a measure of closure to a case that has gripped public attention for over two years.

Gunmen kill APGA chieftain’s son

Previously, Legit.ng reported that a popular businessman and son of an All Progressives Grand Alliance chieftain in Anambra state, Ifesinachi Onyekere, also known as “Fish Magnet,” has been killed by unknown gunmen.

The gunmen kidnapped the victim after invading his residence in Ezinifite community, Okpuno, Awka South LGA of the state, in a late-night attack on Saturday, July 26, 2025.

The assailants shot the victim in the leg before whisking him away in his car.

Source: Legit.ng