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From Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin Kebbi
The Kebbi State High Court has sentenced Farida Abubakar, an ex-wife of a Chief Magistrate, to death for killing him. The deceased, Chief Magistrate Attahiru Muhammad Ibrahim, was stabbed to death with a sharp object on his abdomen, neck, and left arm, leading to his demise.
Delivering judgment on Monday, the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Umar Abubakar, stated that the court was convinced of the accused’s guilt based on the evidence presented by the prosecution.
“The defendant was last seen with the deceased in his house in Birnin Kebbi, shortly before he was found dead. Circumstantial evidence linked the defendant to the offence,” declared the judge.
“The burden of proof is on the prosecution to establish guilt against the accused person beyond reasonable doubt within the boundary of evidence adduced,” added Justice Abubakar.
“With the extrajudicial statement of the accused person and the testimony of 12 prosecution witnesses, the court is overwhelmingly convinced that the circumstantial evidence is an irresistible fact that she was the one who killed the deceased,” the judge said.
“The deceased was last seen with the defendant alive alone. The evidence adduced is cogent, compelling, and not controverted. Her hijab was found smeared with blood. It was her intention to cause death; she knew death would be the consequent outcome of her action. The offence committed at a time the deceased was about to marry a new wife,” declared the Chief Judge.
“The court is satisfied, it is clearly established that the defendant mercilessly planned and marshalled the attack with a sharp object, obviously to cause death or knowing the consequence of her act to cause death or does not care,” Justice Abubakar said.
“The court has found you guilty of culpable homicide and bodily harm, and the court has convicted you as charged,” the judge concluded.
“The court has sentenced you to death by hanging in accordance with section 191(b) penal code law of Kebbi State. You are to be hanged by the neck until you are dead,” Justice Abubakar said in the judgment.
“The court has also sentenced you to 7 years in prison for causing bodily harm in accordance with section 224 (1) of penal code law of Kebbi State,” the judge read out in the judgment.
In mitigation, the defence counsel, Mudashiru Sani, holding brief for Abdulnasir Sallau, described the convict as a first-time offender with aged parents who rely on her for support. He also highlighted that she has a young daughter in need of motherly care.
He pleaded with the court to give the convict a lighter sentence, so that she could finish her time and return to society as a reformed individual, considering her age.
In reply, the Prosecuting Counsel, who is the Director, Public Prosecution, Ministry of Justice, Lawal Hudu Garba, urged the court to follow the letter of the law to serve as a deterrent to others from committing the same heinous offence.
The trial judge remarked that, after listening to both sides, in a case of this nature, where the deceased was killed while in active service (serving Chief Magistrate), and if proven beyond reasonable doubt, the punishment is a mandatory sentence.
Farida Abubakar is reported to have committed the offence on August 25, 2022, while the main charges were filed before the court on July 26, 2023, with a conviction delivered on June 3, 2024.
The defence counsel, Mudashiru Sani, said his client would appeal the judgment of her conviction before the Court of Appeal, Sokoto.
The prosecution presented 12 witnesses and tendered 8 exhibits, including a blood-stained hijab admitted in evidence by the court, while the defence tendered 2 exhibits admitted in evidence.
