Kano, Nigeria– A High Court in Kano State has sentenced a housewife, Fadila Adamu, to death by hanging for the kidnapping and murder of an eight-year-old girl.
Justice Yusuf Muhammad-Ubale, delivering the judgment on Friday, ruled that the prosecution had proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Adamu threw the minor into a well, causing her death.
“I hereby sentence the defendant to death by hanging for kidnapping and throwing the victim into a well, which caused her death,” the judge ruled.
Prosecution counsel Lamido Abba-Sorondinki told the court that the crime occurred on July 14, 2019, at Tudun Wada Quarters, Kano. Around 4:45 p.m., Adamu kidnapped the child and took her home, falsely telling her sister that the girl was the daughter of a friend who had traveled to Ghana.
On July 17, 2019, around 6:30 p.m., Adamu threw the minor into a deep well at Tukuntawa Quarters, leading to her death.
The prosecution presented seven witnesses, along with the defendant’s statements and a medical report confirming the child’s death. Adamu denied the charges, but the court found her guilty under Sections 274(b) and 221(a) of the Penal Code.
The defense counsel, Zulaihat Tata, called four witnesses, including the defendant, to testify in Adamu’s favor. However, after reviewing the evidence, the court ruled in favor of the prosecution and imposed the death penalty.
The case highlights the strict enforcement of Nigeria’s legal provisions on serious crimes, particularly those involving minors.
