Niger Court Sentences 2 Women to Death for Murder of Co-wife

A High Court sitting in Minna has sentenced Amina Aliyu and her sister Aishat Mohammed to death by hanging for the brutal murder of their co-wife, Hafsat Fatima Aliyu.
 
Our correspondent gathered that the incident occurred in March 2021 at the family residence in Barkin Saleh, Minna. 
 
According to the prosecution, Aishat attacked Hafsat with a pestle before setting her body on fire in the kitchen. Amina was also implicated in the crime.
 
The trial began at Minna Chief Magistrate Court Number One before being transferred to the High Court. 
 
During the proceedings, which spanned three years, four witnesses testified, including the victim’s husband, Alhaji Muhammad Sani, who recounted the events leading up to the murder.
 
Justice Balkisu Gambo Yusuf of Minna High Court 7 found the prosecution’s case proven beyond doubt, stating, “The punishment for culpable homicide under Section 221 of the Penal Code is death.”
 
A third defendant, Zainab, the youngest sibling, was sentenced to life imprisonment due to her age at the time of the crime. 
 
“As of 2021, when the offence was committed, the ACJA excluded anyone below 18 from facing the death penalty,” Justice Yusuf ruled.
 
Peter Omale, the defence counsel, had urged leniency for Zainab, highlighting her status as a minor at the time of the crime.