DSS Secures Death Sentence for Dan Iyali, the Suspect in Sokoto Kidnap, Murder Trial

The Department of State Services (DSS) has successfully convicted and sentenced Dan Iyali, also known as Ibrahim Usman, to death for his role in the kidnapping and murder of three individuals in Sokoto State in September 2023. Usman faced a four-count charge before the Sokoto High Court, alongside other suspects who are still at large.

The charges included criminal conspiracy, kidnapping, culpable homicide punishable by death, and causing grievous hurt without provocation. Justice Mohammed Mohammed of the Sokoto High Court ruled that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt. Usman was given a life sentence for kidnapping and the death penalty for culpable homicide.

The suspect and his accomplices had attacked Bare Village in Goronyo Local Government Area on September 9, 2023, armed with guns and sporadically shooting. They kidnapped several residents, including Ahmad Alhassan, Umar Usman, Adamu Haliru (Naibi), Alhaji Sule Muhammad, and Abdulmalik Muazu. The victims were later taken to Marmaro Forest in Giayawa District, where Usman killed three of them — Alhaji Shuaibu Isah (Sarkin Ruwa), Umar Usman, and Adamu Haliru (Naibi) — by shooting.

Ahmad Alhassan and Abdulmalik Muazu were also shot, sustaining injuries to their neck and groin, respectively, before being abandoned in the forest. They were eventually rescued by a vigilante group. Usman was arrested in Bare Village, Goronyo Local Government Area, in May 2024, and subsequently charged under the Sokoto State Penal Code Law 2019 for criminal conspiracy, kidnapping, and culpable homicide.

The conviction is part of the DSS's efforts to investigate and prosecute individuals involved in kidnapping, terrorism-related violence, and other serious security offenses across the country.