A Kano State High Court has sentenced a man, Abubakar Alhaji Sabo, to death by hanging after finding him guilty of killing his newborn son in a case that has shocked residents of the state.
Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice Aisha Yau held that the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt that Sabo deliberately caused the death of the infant by force-feeding him with a local insecticide popularly known as fiya-fiya.
The court heard that the crime was committed after the child’s mother, identified as Sabo’s girlfriend, declined his alleged instruction to kill the baby in order to avoid the social stigma associated with fathering a child outside wedlock. In a grim turn of events, Sabo was said to have taken matters into his own hands, leading to the death of the newborn.
Evidence before the court also revealed that Sabo assaulted the baby’s maternal grandfather, striking him on the head with a brick after he was caught in the act of poisoning the child. The victim survived the attack but sustained injuries, prompting an additional charge of causing grievous harm.
The Kano State Government, through its prosecuting counsel, Barrister Safiya Yalwati Yahaya, arraigned Sabo on charges of culpable homicide and grievous harm. During the trial, the prosecution called three witnesses, while the defendant testified in his own defence.
In her ruling, Justice Yau described the offence as a grave violation of human life and societal values, stressing that the law must take its full course. She consequently convicted Sabo of infanticide and sentenced him to death by hanging. The court also imposed an additional three-year prison term for the assault on the victim’s father.
The judgment has reignited conversations around child protection, moral responsibility and the need for sustained advocacy against violence within families, particularly in cases involving vulnerable children.
