Housewife bags death sentence with sister for killing co-wife in Minna

Housewife bags death sentence with sister for killing co-wife in Minna

A High Court sitting in Minna, the Niger State capital, has sentenced one Amina Aliyu, a housewife, and her sister, Aishat Mohammed to death by hanging for the brutal killing of her co-wife, Hafsat Fatima Aliyu.

The youngest sister of the accused person, Zainab, who was alleged to have participated in the murder also received life imprisonment due to her age at the time the crime was committed.

The accused persons had conspired and killed the deceased in March 2021, at the family residence in Barkin Saleh, a suburb of Minna, the state capital.

The two accused persons – Amina and Aishat – were convicted for murdering Hafsat, after hitting her with a pestle from behind in the kitchen on the fateful day.

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According to the prosecutor, the accused persons later set the lifeless body on fire to make it look as if she died of fire incident in the kitchen.

During the proceedings, which spanned three years, four witnesses testified, including Sani Aliyu, the husband of the deceased, who recounted how Amina and her  sisters conspired and killed Hafsat

Justice Balkisu Gambo Yusuf of Minna High Court 7, while sentencing the accused persons said that the prosecutor had proven his case beyond doubt, adding that: “The punishment for culpable homicide under Section 221 of the Penal Code is death.”

However Peter Omale, the defence counsel, urged leniency for Zainab, highlighting her status as a minor at the time of the crime.

Justice Yusuf concurred, admitting that, “As of 2021, when the offence was committed, the ACJA excluded anyone below 18 from facing the death penalty.”

Housewife bags death sentence with sister for killing co-wife in Minna