Magistrate’s ex-wife sentenced to death over murder

A High Court in Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State, has sentenced Farida Abubakar, the ex-wife of a magistrate, to death by hanging for the murder of her former husband, Magistrate Muhammed Attahiru Ibrahim Zagga.

The incident occurred on August 25, 2022, with charges filed on July 26, 2023, and the conviction delivered on June 3, 2024.

During the trial, the court heard that the deceased was found stabbed to death with a sharp object in his abdomen, neck, and left arm.

The chief judge of the state, Justice Umar Abubakar, presiding over the case, stated that the evidence presented by the prosecution, including an extra-judicial statement from the accused and testimony from 12 witnesses, convincingly linked Farida Abubakar to the crime.

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The court found her guilty of culpable homicide and bodily harm, sentencing her to death by hanging as per Section 191(b) of the penal code law of Kebbi State.

Also, she was sentenced to seven years in prison for causing bodily harm under Section 224(1) of the same law.

The defence counsel appealed for a lighter sentence, citing the convict’s status as a first-time offender with aged parents to care for and a young daughter in need of motherly care.

However, the prosecuting counsel urged the court to uphold the law’s strictness as a deterrent to others.

The trial judge emphasised the mandatory nature of the punishment for such a heinous offence, particularly because the deceased was killed while in active service.

The defence counsel said they would appeal the judgement to the Court of Appeal in Sokoto.

Throughout the trial, the prosecution presented 12 witnesses and eight exhibits, including a blood-stained hijab, while the defence tendered two exhibits in evidence.