A Plateau State High Court has sentenced Thomas Danboyi and Pam Lang to death by hanging for their involvement in the murder of Chung Bot. The ruling was made by Chief Judge Justice David Gwong Mann at the Jos High Court on Wednesday, March 26, 2025.
In the case, State vs. Thomas Danboyi & Pam Lang (Charge No. PLD/J112C/2010), the defendants were found guilty of criminal conspiracy and culpable homicide. Justice Mann stated that the crimes were punishable under the Penal Code Law of Northern Nigeria, 1963, which applied to Plateau State at the time.
The prosecution, led by Plateau State Attorney General P.A. Daffi, outlined that the incident occurred on April 26, 2010, in Tahai Gyel Bukuru, Jos South Local Government Area. The victim, Chung Bot, had gone to his farmland with his family when they were attacked by the defendants and others, now at large. Evidence presented in court revealed that Danboyi restrained the victim, while Lang struck him on the head with a stick. The victim later died from his injuries at Plateau Hospital in Jos.
Justice Mann found the evidence “overwhelming” and confirmed that the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt that the defendants conspired to commit the crime and intentionally caused the victim’s death. Following the conviction, the defense pleaded for leniency, citing the convicts’ good conduct and family responsibilities. In response, Justice Mann imposed a three-year prison sentence for criminal conspiracy but handed down the mandatory death sentence for the culpable homicide charge, as he had no discretion to reduce it.
The case, which has garnered significant attention due to its lengthy duration since the 2010 crime, sends a strong message against violent crimes and self-help justice in Plateau State. Legal experts note that the convicts retain the right to appeal the verdict to higher courts, but unless overturned, the sentence will be carried out as prescribed by law.