On Wednesday, January 16th, a Minna High Court in Niger State condemned Amina Aliyu and her sister Aishat Mohammed to death by hanging for the heinous murder of her co-wife, Hafsat Fatima Aliyu.
The youngest sibling, Zainab, was sentenced to life in jail because of her age at the time of the offense. Hafsat was their husband Alhaji Muhammad Sani’s second wife, and Amina and Aishat were found guilty of her murder.
About seven weeks after the deceased’s marriage to Alhaji Sani, the incident took place in the family home in Barkin Saleh, Minna, in March 2021.
The prosecution claims that Aishat used a pestle to attack Hafsat before burning her body in the kitchen.
Before being moved to the High Court, the trial started at Minna Chief Magistrate Court Number One.Sani, one of four witnesses who testified during the three-year-long hearings, described how Amina k!lled Hafsat.
Minna High Court 7 Justice Balkisu Gambo Yusuf acknowledged that the prosecution had established its case beyond a reasonable doubt, saying, “The punishment for culpable homicide under Section 221 of the Penal Code is death.”
Defense attorney Peter Omale called for Zainab to be given more time, pointing out that she was a minor at the time of the offense.
Judge Yusuf agreed, declaring, “As of 2021, when the offence was committed, the ACJA excluded anyone below 18 from facing the death penalty.”