UDS student gets life sentence in murder over love affair
UDS student gets life sentence after orchestrating a brutal killing sparked by jealousy over a failed relationship.
Last Thursday, the High Court in Tamale handed the verdict. Justice Charles Kwesi Acheampong presided. The ruling followed a gripping trial filled with deception, surveillance footage, and digital traces.
The court found Salifu Nurudeen—also known as Salifu Nko-nya—guilty of murdering Wumpini Mohammed Zakiu, a Pharmacy student and his romantic rival.
The motive was clear. Nurudeen’s former girlfriend had ended their relationship. Soon after, she began dating Wumpini.
Instead of walking away, Nurudeen turned vengeful.
He hatched a plan using deceit. First, he created a fake Snapchat account under the name of a non-existent admirer. Then, he lured Wumpini to an uncompleted building on campus.
There, Nurudeen stabbed him multiple times, leaving him for dead.
CCTV footage later showed Wumpini being chased into the building—capturing the final moments before his death. When investigators found his body, they also noticed his phone was gone.
But Nurudeen didn’t stop there.
To deflect suspicion, he removed Wumpini’s SIM card and used it in his own phone. He then impersonated the victim, sending messages to the girlfriend and a close friend. One message read: “Charley I go find trouble o, dem go kill me.”
Police traced the phone’s signal straight to Nurudeen’s room in Nyankpala. A search uncovered the phone under his bed. Forensic and digital evidence confirmed his role.
Officers later arrested him at Tamale Jubilee Park through a calculated lure.
Despite the mountain of evidence, Nurudeen denied involvement. He remained emotionless throughout the trial, even as the jury returned a 6–1 guilty verdict.
On July 31, 2025, the judge sentenced him to life in prison.
The courtroom fell silent. No remorse. No apology.
This tragedy ripped through the UDS community, sparking outrage and sorrow.
What began as a campus love story ended in a brutal murder. One young man lost his life. Another now loses his future.
This case serves as a grim warning: jealousy destroys, and choices have consequences.
