A Kano State High Court sitting at Court 11 has sentenced two men to death by hanging for the murder of a 35-year-old housewife, Fatima Abubakar, and her six children at Dorayi Chiranchi Quarters, Kano, on January 17, 2026.
The convicts, Umar Auwalu, 23, of Sabuwar Gandu Quarters, and Yakubu Daiyebu, 21, of Sabon Gida, Sharada Quarters, were also sentenced to life imprisonment for conspiracy to commit culpable homicide and armed robbery.
Delivering the judgment, Justice Nasiru Saminu described the killings as one of the most horrifying crimes in the history of criminal justice, saying the victims were murdered by relatives who ought to have protected them.
The judge said the woman had willingly opened the door for the first convict when he arrived with his accomplice, unaware of their alleged intention to attack the family.
He said the convicts exploited the trust reposed in them by the deceased before unleashing the attack that wiped out the entire family.
Justice Saminu said the deceased woman was not only a victim but a mother whose life was intertwined with the hopes, welfare and future of her children.
He said, “Seven lives have been lost. Seven human destinies have been terminated. Seven opportunities to experience life with its aspirations and contributions to society have been permanently extinguished.”
The judge also expressed sympathy for the surviving family members, particularly Haruna Bashir, the husband of the deceased and father of the six children, whom he said had been thrown into anguish, despair and trauma.
He noted that no judicial pronouncement could restore the deceased or adequately compensate the family for the loss.
Justice Saminu, however, stressed that the court’s responsibility was to administer justice rather than vengeance, adding that its decision must be guided by the law and evidence.
“The court must neither be swayed by emotion nor be indifferent to the gravity of the crime. Its decision must be founded on the law, the evidence and the applicable principles of criminal justice,” he said.
The judge also cited Quran 5:45, which provides for the principle of life for life, before imposing the death sentences.
The two convicts were found guilty of culpable homicide punishable with death under Section 221 of the Penal Code for the killings of the seven victims.
They were also sentenced to life imprisonment with hard labour for conspiracy and armed robbery.
The third defendant, Isyaku Yakubu, 40, was earlier discharged and acquitted, while the first defendant had pleaded for leniency after admitting guilt while the second defendant pleaded not guilty.
