A Kano State High Court, on Monday, sentenced five men to death by hanging for the murder of a 67-year-old woman, Dahare Abubakar, whom they accused of being a witch.
The convicts — Da’luta Ibrahim, Abdulaziz Yahaya, Faisal Yahaya, Ibrahim Abdu, and Ayuba Abdulrahman — were found guilty of culpable homicide in connection with the attack that occurred on November 15, 2023, in Dadin Kowa Village, Wudil local government area of Kano State.
Delivering judgement, Justice Usman Na’abba ruled that the prosecution had established its case against the accused beyond reasonable doubt.
“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,” the Judge ruled.
The prosecution counsel, Lamido Abba-Sorondinki, had told the court that the convicts conspired to attack the victim at about 8:30am after suspecting her of witchcraft. They followed her to her farm and stabbed her to death with dangerous weapons.
Dahare was rushed to Wudil General Hospital, where she was confirmed dead by a medical doctor.
To support the case, the prosecution presented four witnesses and two exhibits, including statements by the defendants and a medical report.
The defendants denied the allegation, but the judge found their testimonies unconvincing. Despite presenting eight witnesses in their defense, led by their counsel Ma’aruf Yakasai, the court upheld the crime of culpable homicide.