Kano Court sentences two men to death for killing housewife, six children

A Kano State High Court on Friday sentenced two men, Umar Auwalu, 23, and Yakubu Dayyabu, 40, to death by hanging for the gruesome murder of a 35-year-old housewife, Fatima Abubakar, and her six children in Dorayi Chiranchi Quarters, Kano.

The presiding judge, Justice Nasiru Saminu, handed down the sentence after finding the two defendants guilty of culpable homicide, conspiracy and armed robbery.

However, the court discharged and acquitted the third defendant, Isyaku Yakubu, 21, for lack of credible evidence linking him to the crime.

In an emotion-laden judgment, Justice Saminu described the killing of Fatima and her six children as a horrific crime that offended the conscience of society.

The judge said the victims were entitled to the protection of their home but were brutally attacked by people who should never have posed a threat to them.

He particularly expressed dismay that Auwalu, the first defendant, was a nephew of the deceased.

“Uncle of the children turned into a bonfire and monster. Seven opportunities have been permanently lost to grow into responsible members of society,” the judge said.

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Justice Saminu also acknowledged the devastating impact of the killings on Haruna Bashir, the husband of Fatima and father of the six children, stressing that no compensation could restore the lives lost or erase the trauma suffered by the family.

“How I wish there is a punishment heavier than this. My emphasis is not to administer vengeance, but justice,” he declared.

The court sentenced Auwalu and Dayyabu to life imprisonment with hard labour each for conspiracy and armed robbery, while imposing the death penalty on both for culpable homicide.

“May God have mercy on your soul,” the judge pronounced.

On the third defendant, Isyaku Yakubu, Justice Saminu held that the prosecution failed to establish any credible evidence of conspiracy between him and the other two defendants.

Although telephone conversations between Isyaku and the first and second defendants were established, the prosecution failed to prove the contents of those conversations.

The judge further noted that evidence before the court indicated that Isyaku was at Gano attending a Qur’anic graduation ceremony when the killings occurred.

“Since the content of the conversation has not been proven, it remains a mere suspicion,” he ruled.

Earlier, the Attorney-General of Kano State and prosecution counsel, Abdulkarim Kabiru-Maude, told the court that the defendants committed the offences on January 17, 2026, at Dorayi Chiranchi Quarters, Kano.

According to the prosecution, the defendants allegedly conspired and invaded Fatima’s residence at about 11:30 a.m., armed with sticks, an iron rod, a sharp cutlass and other dangerous weapons.

They allegedly robbed her of two mobile phones, an Infinix and an Itel, as well as N200,000 in cash.

Kabiru-Maude told the court that during the attack, Fatima was struck with a stick and an iron rod on her neck before being hit on the head with a sewing machine, resulting in her death.

The prosecution further alleged that the defendants attacked and killed her six children, identified as Maimuna, 17; Aisha, 16; Bashir, 13; Abubakar, 10; Faruk, seven; and Abdulsalam Haruna, a toddler.

They allegedly beat the children with sticks and stabbed them with knives and a sharp cutlass, inflicting fatal injuries to different parts of their bodies.

The prosecution added that after killing the children, the attackers threw Faruk and Abdulsalam into a well within the compound.

During the trial, Auwalu pleaded guilty to the charges but denied throwing the children into the well, while Dayyabu and Isyaku pleaded not guilty.

To establish its case, the prosecution presented eight witnesses and tendered 30 exhibits, including medical reports from Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital, Kano; confessional statements; a bloodstained broken iron rod; a stool; bloodstained trousers; N200,000 in cash; two mobile phones; and a flash drive containing audio and video recordings.

The offences were said to contravene Sections 97, 221 and 298(c) of the Penal Code.

The defence teams, comprising counsel J.I. Musa, who represented the first defendant, and M.S. Baba, who represented the second and third defendants, presented five witnesses, alongside the defendants, in their defence.

Before the judgment, Auwalu appealed for forgiveness from the court, the Kano State Government, the Kano Emirate Council, his family, Nigerians and the second defendant.

Speaking with journalists after the judgment, the Attorney-General commended the state counsel under the Kano State Ministry of Justice for their efforts in prosecuting the case.

He also praised the presiding judge for delivering what he described as justice in the matter.