A Kano State High Court has sentenced a man, Shuaibu Abdulkadir, to death by hanging for the murder of a pregnant housewife, Rumaisa Shuaibu, in Kano.
Justice Farida Rabiu-Danbappa of High Court No. 22, Miller Road, delivered the judgment on Friday after finding Abdulkadir guilty of culpable homicide punishable with death under Section 221 of the Penal Code.
The judge held that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
“I found Shuaibu Abdulkadir guilty. I hereby sentence you to death by hanging for culpable homicide. May Allah have mercy on your soul. You have 90 days to appeal,” the judge ruled.
The prosecution, led by Basiru Aliyu, told the court that Abdulkadir murdered the 22-year-old victim, who was pregnant at the time, at her residence in Farawa Quarters, Kumbotso Local Government Area, in 2025.
According to the prosecution, the deceased had demanded the repayment of money allegedly owed to her by the defendant before the incident. It added that Abdulkadir tied the victim’s neck and slit her throat with a sharp knife, leading to her death.
The court heard that the deceased was also a friend of the defendant’s fiancée.
To establish its case, the prosecution called three witnesses, including the deceased’s husband, Ibrahim Muhammad; the defendant’s fiancée, Asiya Abdulmalik; and the Investigating Police Officer, ASP Chindo Chiwa.
It also tendered several exhibits, including the defendant’s confessional statement, a video recording, electronic evidence, photographs of the deceased, the knife allegedly used in the killing, and the defendant’s mobile phone.
The defendant denied the allegation during the trial and testified in his own defence.
Defence counsel, Mustapha Idris, urged the court to temper justice with mercy, describing Abdulkadir as a first-time offender who had shown remorse.
However, after reviewing the evidence, Justice Rabiu-Danbappa convicted the defendant and sentenced him to death by hanging.
