Kano State High Court has sentenced a 22-year-old man, Sagiru Rijiyar-Zaki, to death by hanging for the brutal murder of his stepmother and sister.
Delivering judgment, Justice Amina Adamu-Aliyu ruled on Tuesday that the prosecution had successfully proven its case beyond reasonable doubt. The court found Rijiyar-Zaki guilty of culpable homicide for fatally stabbing his stepmother, Rabiatu Sagir, and strangling his sister, Munawara, to death with a scarf.
According to the prosecution, the tragic incident occurred on January 7, 2023, at Rijiyar Zaki Quarters in Kano. The Prosecution Counsel, Lamido Abba-Sorondinki, told the court that the defendant attacked his stepmother during a disagreement, stabbing her in the neck with a screwdriver. He later strangled his younger sister using her scarf.
The prosecution presented two witnesses and submitted exhibits as evidence. Despite the overwhelming evidence, Rijiyar-Zaki denied the allegations during the trial.
The crime was found to be in violation of Section 221(a) of the Penal Code Law of Kano State, 1991. Defence Counsel, Mubarak Abubakar, called the convict to testify in his own defence, but the court ultimately ruled against him.
Justice Adamu-Aliyu subsequently sentenced the defendant to death by hanging.