A Kano State High Court has discharged and acquitted Inusa Rabo, 35, of a murder charge after psychiatric evidence established his history of mental illness. The court ordered his relatives to ensure he continues treatment and takes his medication regularly.
A Kano State High Court has discharged and acquitted a 35-year-old man, Inusa Rabo, who was charged with the culpable homicide of 55-year-old Sa’idu Haruna, following evidence of his history of mental illness.
Delivering judgment on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, Justice Fatima Adamu held that the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.
The defendant, a resident of Kadawa Quarters in Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area of Kano State, had faced a one-count charge of culpable homicide.
The judge said the testimony of the first defence witness, Dr Adamu Aliyu, a psychiatrist at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Dawanau, Kano, supported evidence that Rabo had a longstanding history of mental illness.
Adamu said the court had a responsibility to protect society while ensuring that justice was served, noting that the evidence presented before it established the defendant’s history of mental illness.
“The defendant is hereby discharged and acquitted on the one-count charge of culpable homicide preferred against him,” the judge ruled.
However, the court directed Rabo’s relatives to sign an undertaking to ensure he continues receiving treatment at the Neuropsychiatric Hospital in Dawanau and takes his prescribed medication regularly.
The judge commended defence counsel, Haruna Saleh-Zakariyya, for handling the case diligently on a pro bono basis, particularly for presenting a medical expert to testify.
She urged other legal practitioners to emulate the diligence and professionalism demonstrated in the case.
Earlier, the prosecution counsel, Hafsat Ada’u-Kutama, told the court that the alleged offence occurred on September 1, 2024, at Kadawa Quarters in Kano State.
She alleged that at about 1:50 p.m. on the day of the incident, Rabo struck Haruna on the head with a stick, causing injuries that led to his death.
According to the prosecution, the victim was rushed to Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital in Kano, where he was confirmed dead.
The prosecution called three witnesses and tendered three exhibits in support of its case. It maintained that the alleged offence contravened Section 221 of the Penal Code. Rabo, however, denied committing the offence.
In his defence, Saleh-Zakariyya called the defendant and two other witnesses to testify before the court.
The defence also tendered three exhibits, including a medical certificate indicating that Rabo had a history of mental illness spanning more than 10 years.
Dr Aliyu had earlier testified that he had been treating the defendant for over a decade.
The court subsequently discharged and acquitted Rabo after finding that the prosecution had not established the charge beyond reasonable doubt, while directing his family to ensure continued psychiatric treatment and medication adherence.
Visit GMTNewsng for more news stories.
