Kano High Court sentences 5 men to death for killing woman accused of witchcraft

A Kano State High Court on Monday sentenced five men to death by hanging for calling a woman, Dahare Abubakar, 67, a witch and stabbing her to death.

The defendants — Da’luta Ibrahim, Abdulaziz Yahaya, Faisal Yahaya, Ibrahim Abdu, and Ayuba Abdulrahman — were convicted on a charge of culpable homicide.

Delivering judgment, Justice Usman Na’abba ruled that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt and sentenced the five convicts to death by hanging.

“I hereby sentence the defendants to death by hanging for homicide and acquit Nabi’a Ibrahim, the sixth defendant, as evidence shows she was not at the scene,” he ruled.

Earlier, the prosecution counsel, Lamido Abba-Sorondinki, told the court that the convicts committed the offence on Nov. 15, 2023 in Dadin Kowa Village, Wudil, Kano.

He said the defendants conspired at about 8:30 a.m. on the same day after suspecting Dahare Abubakar of being a witch.

“In the process, the defendants followed her to the farm and stabbed her to death with dangerous weapons,” he stated.

The victim was rushed to Wudil General Hospital, Kano, where a doctor confirmed her death.

Abba-Sorondinki presented four witnesses and two exhibits, including the defendants’ extra-judicial statements and a medical report confirming the victim’s death.

The defendants denied committing the offence.

The prosecution said the offence contravened Section 221(a), read with Section 79 of the Penal Code Laws of Kano State, 1991.

Defence counsel, Ma’aruf Yakasai, presented eight witnesses, including the defendants, to testify in their defence. (NAN)