A Kano State High Court has delivered a capital punishment verdict in a harrowing case of filicide, sentencing a man to death for the murder of his own newborn child.
Court Convicts Father After Witness Testimonies
Presiding Judge Justice Aisha Yau handed down the sentence on Friday, January 9. The convict, Abubakar Alhaji Sabo, was found guilty on a two-count charge of murder and causing a public nuisance, brought by the Kano State Government.
The prosecution, led by Barrister Safiya Yalwati Yahaya, successfully proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt before the court. Three prosecution witnesses provided crucial testimony during the trial, detailing the tragic events.
Details of the Disturbing Crime
According to evidence presented in court, Sabo had a child out of wedlock with his girlfriend. The court heard that he subsequently killed the newborn infant after the child's mother refused to carry out his command to do so.
The incident did not stop at the murder. Testimonies revealed that Sabo also caused a significant disturbance and inflicted injuries on his girlfriend during the same event, leading to the additional charge of public nuisance.
Concurrent Sentences Handed Down
In her ruling, Justice Yau stated that the evidence left no room for doubt regarding Sabo's guilt in the murder. For this primary charge, she sentenced him to death by hanging.
On the second count of causing a public nuisance and disturbance, the court imposed a three-year prison term. The judge ordered this sentence to be served concurrently with the death sentence.
A Pattern of Severe Sentences in Kano
This ruling follows a pattern of the Kano judiciary imposing strict penalties for severe crimes. Recently, the same court system sentenced two men, Aliyu Hussaini and Amir Zakariyya, to death by hanging for the June killing of lecturer Buhari Imam during a home robbery.
In that case, Justice Fatima Adamu convicted the defendants on charges of conspiracy, armed robbery, and culpable homicide, citing strong evidence.
Furthermore, the Court of Appeal in Kano recently upheld the death sentence for Abdulmalik Tanko, affirming his conviction for the kidnapping and murder of five-year-old Hanifa Abubakar, a case that sparked national outrage.
In another separate case, a Kano High Court sentenced tomato seller Abdulaziz Adamu to death by hanging after the bodies of missing persons were discovered at his home in Dawakin Kudu during a trial for murder and kidnapping for ransom.
