A Kano State High Court has sentenced a housewife, Fadila Adamu to death by hanging for kidnapping and murder of an eight-year-old girl whom she threw into a well, resulting in the child’s death.
Delivering the judgment on Friday, Justice Yusuf Muhammad-Ubale ruled that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt, convicting Adamu of kidnapping and culpable homicide.
“I hereby sentence the defendant to death by hanging for kidnapping and throwing the victim into a well, which caused her death,” Justice Muhammad-Ubale pronounced.
The prosecution counsel, Lamido Abba-Sorondinki, informed the court that the incident occurred on July 14, 2019, at Tudun Wada Quarters, Kano.
He explained that Adamu kidnapped the girl around 4:45 p.m. and took her to her residence at Sabuwar Gandu Quarters.
According to Abba-Sorondinki, the defendant lied to her sister, claiming the child was the daughter of her friend who had travelled to Ghana, and requested that the child be kept until her alleged mother returned.
Three days later, on July 17, 2019, around 6:30 p.m., Adamu reportedly threw the child into a deep well located in the Tukuntawa Quarters of Kano, leading to her death.
The prosecution presented seven witnesses, including the defendant’s statements and a medical report confirming the minor’s death.
Adamu, however, denied committing the crime. Her defence counsel, Zulaihat Tata, called four witnesses, including the defendant, to testify in her favour.
Despite the defence’s argument, Justice Muhammad-Ubale ruled that the evidence provided by the prosecution was sufficient to secure a conviction.
