A High Court sitting in Plateau State has sentenced Emmanuel Ude, a former student of Government Technical College, Bukuru, to death by hanging for the murder of his teacher, Mr. Job Dashe, in 2021.
The judgment was delivered on Monday, June 30, 2025, by Justice Silas Bakfur, who ruled that Ude was guilty of culpable homicide punishable under Sections 221 and 222 of the Plateau State Penal Code. These sections carry the mandatory death penalty for such a crime.
The tragic incident occurred in July 2021 at the college located in Jos South Local Government Area. According to court records, the confrontation between Ude and Mr. Dashe began in the school’s dining hall.
Mr. Dashe, who was serving as the Duty Master at the time, had approached Ude on suspicion that he had obtained an extra portion of food illegally. He requested that Ude open his food flask for inspection, which the student refused.
Following the encounter, Ude left the dining hall and returned shortly afterward from the dormitory armed with a knife. In a shocking turn of events, he attacked Mr. Dashe and stabbed him in the chest. Ude immediately fled the scene.
Mr. Dashe was rushed to a hospital along Vom Road, but despite medical efforts, he was later confirmed dead.
Ude was eventually apprehended after a thorough police investigation led by the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID). During interrogation, he reportedly made a confessional statement admitting to the crime. This confession was tendered and accepted as critical evidence during the court proceedings.
The prosecution team, led by state counsel Nansil Mbah and Solomon Deme from the Plateau State Ministry of Justice, argued that the act was not only deliberate but also premeditated. They maintained that the convict had ample time between the initial confrontation and the attack to reconsider his actions, but instead chose to commit murder.
The trial spanned nearly four years, during which the defence counsel, Josil Drinkat, urged the court to consider Ude’s remorse and emotional state at the time of the incident. He pleaded for leniency, arguing that the convict had shown deep regret throughout the judicial process.
However, in his final judgment, Justice Bakfur stated that although the court acknowledged Ude’s expression of remorse, it was bound to follow the provisions of the law without deviation.
“The prosecution has proved its case beyond reasonable doubt. The hands of the court are tied; I can only do what the law prescribes in such a situation,” the judge declared.
Emmanuel Ude was thereby convicted and sentenced to death by hanging until he is confirmed dead.