The Supreme Court has ordered a fresh trial for Yahaya Ibrahim, a man earlier sentenced to death for his alleged role in the 2011 murder of prominent Kano businessman, Alhaji Sabo Jae.
Delivering the judgment, Justice Tijjani Abubakar dismissed Ibrahim’s appeal against a 2019 ruling of the Court of Appeal, which had nullified his initial trial and called for a retrial due to procedural irregularities. According to the apex court, Ibrahim’s initial arraignment failed to meet the legal standards required under Nigerian criminal law, rendering the entire trial and conviction invalid.
Yahaya Ibrahim and others were originally convicted in 2014 by a Kano State High Court for the brutal killing that shocked the local community. However, his legal counsel argued that the case should be struck out entirely due to the prolonged delay and what he described as “weak and unreliable evidence” that could not sustain a conviction even at retrial.
The Supreme Court, however, disagreed. In its ruling, the court maintained that irrespective of the length of detention or concerns over evidence, a valid trial must be conducted to determine guilt or innocence in line with the constitutionally guaranteed right to fair hearing. Justice Abubakar insisted that “no matter the delay or defects of the past, justice must be done through a proper trial.”
The ruling now sends the case back to the Kano State High Court for a fresh hearing, giving both the prosecution and the defense an opportunity to present their case anew.
Legal analysts say the judgment reinforces the importance of due process, particularly in capital offences, and signals the Supreme Court’s resolve to correct procedural lapses even in long-standing cases.