Nigeria, May 26 -- An Upper Shari'a Court in Kano has sentenced 38-year-old Shafi'u Abubakar to death by hanging and 150 strokes of the cane for setting a mosque on fire, leading to the deaths of 23 people.

Abubakar, a resident of Gezawa Local Government Area, was found guilty of four charges: culpable homicide, attempted murder, causing grievous harm, and arson.

Delivering the judgment on Monday, Judge Halhalatu Khuza'i-Zakariyya said that while seven witnesses were presented by the prosecution, only two provided credible evidence.

He noted that testimonies from Pw1, Pw2, Pw3, Pw5, and Pw6 were hearsay or lacked firsthand knowledge of the incident.

However, the judge accepted the testimony of Pw4, Ibrahim Salisu, who said he saw the ...