A Kano State High Court has sentenced 22-year-old Sagiru Rijiyar-Zaki to death by hanging for the brutal killing of his stepmother and younger sister.
Delivering the judgment on Tuesday, Justice Amina Adamu-Aliyu found Sagiru guilty of culpable homicide, ruling that the prosecution had established its case beyond reasonable doubt.
The court heard that the convict, on January 7, 2023, at Rijiyar Zaki Quarters in Kano, stabbed his stepmother, Rabiatu Sagir, in the neck with a screwdriver during a dispute. He later strangled his sister, Munawara, using her scarf.
Prosecution counsel, Lamido Abba-Sorondinki, told the court that the attacks occurred around 8 p.m. and resulted in the immediate deaths of both victims. The prosecution presented two witnesses and submitted material evidence during the trial.
Despite denying the charges, the convict was unable to convince the court of his innocence. His lawyer, Mubarak Abubakar, presented him as the sole witness for the defence.
The court found that Sagiru’s actions were in clear violation of Section 221(a) of the Penal Code Law of Kano State, 1991, which prescribes the death penalty for culpable homicide.
In her ruling, Justice Adamu-Aliyu sentenced Sagiru to death by hanging, bringing a grim end to a case that shocked the Rijiyar Zaki community.
