The Minna High Court No. 1, presided over by the Chief Judge of Niger State Justice Halima Ibrahim Abdulmalik, has said that she will deliver judgement on the case of culpable homicide brought against Stephen Jiya on December 13, 2021.
Stephen Jiya was standing trial for setting ablaze his biological mother, Mrs. Comfort Jiya, in the Dutsen Kura area of Minna, the capital of Niger State, some times in 2021.
He was swiftly picked up by the men of the homicide squad of the state Criminal Investigation and Intelligent Department (SCIID) of the Niger State Police Command.
Immediately after he was taken into custody, he was arraigned in Minna Chief Magistrate Court before he was finally charged to the state high court by the legal team of the Office of the Attorney General in the state Ministry of Justice for proper prosecution.
He was earlier arraigned by SCIID on holden charges while awaiting legal advice from the office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) in the Office of the Attorney General for proper prosecution in a court of competent jurisdiction.
The office of the DPP in the Ministry of Justice formally charged him to the High Court on September 14, 2022, under Section 221 of the penal code law, which would attract the death penalty if found guilty.
Hearings into the case commenced on November 23, 2022, and the Chief Judge had slated December 13, 2023, for final judgement.
It will be recalled that Stephen Jiya poured a liquid substance suspected to be petrol and set his biological mother ablaze during a hot argument with her in the Dutsen Kura area of Minna some time in December 2021.