The Kano State High Court, Kano, on Friday, sentenced a housewife, Fadila Adamu, to death by hanging for the murder of her childhood friend’s eight-year-old daughter, Aisha Sani.
Fadila kidnapped the minor on her way home from Islamiyya school in 2019 and threw her into a well, causing her death.
Aisha’s corpse was discovered in the well at Gandu Albasa Quarters two weeks after she went missing.
The defendant, who lived at the Sabuwar Gandu Quarters Kano, was convicted of kidnapping and culpable homicide.
Delivering judgement, trial judge Yusuf Muhammad-Ubale ruled that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt and sentenced the defendant to death by hanging.
“I hereby sentence the defendant to death by hanging for kidnapping and throwing the victim into a well which caused her death,” he ruled.
Earlier, the prosecution lawyer, Lamido Abba-Sorondinki, told the court that the defendant committed the offence on 14 July 2019, at Tudun Wada Quarters, Kano.
He said that at about 4:45 p.m, the defendant kidnapped the minor and took her to her house.
“The defendant told her sister that the deceased was the daughter of her friend, whose mother had travelled to Ghana, and asked her to keep the child until she returned.
“On 17 July 2019, at about 6:30 p.m., the defendant caused the death of the minor when she threw her into a deep well situated in the Tukuntawa Quarters, Kano,” he said.
Mr Abba-Sorondinki presented seven witnesses, the defendants’ statements and a medical report confirming the victim’s death.
The prosecution said that the offence contravened Sections 274(b) and 221(a) of the Penal Code.
The defendant denied committing the offence.
The defence counsel, Zulaihat Tata, presented four witnesses, including the defendant, to testify in her defence.
