Culpable homicide: Court sentences three siblings to death, life imprisonment
Three siblings: Amina Aliyu, Aishat Mohammed, and Zainab Aliyu — have been sentenced by Justice Balkisu Gambo Yusuf of Minna High Court Number 7 for culpable homicide in Niger State.
The siblings, residents of the Barkin Saleh area of Minna, were found guilty of jointly killing a married woman, Hafsat Aliyu, in 2021.
Aishat Aliyu was accused of striking Hafsat with a pestle and setting her corpse on fire in the kitchen.
Amina Aliyu and Aishat Mohammed were sentenced to death by electrocution, while Zainab Aliyu, who was a teenager at the time of the offense, received a life imprisonment sentence.
The court’s verdict followed a trial in which four witnesses, including Hafsat’s husband, Alhaji Muhammad Sani, testified.
The prosecution successfully proved the two-count charge of joint act and culpable homicide against the siblings.
Before pronouncing the sentence, Justice Yusuf considered the plea of the defense counsel, Barrister Peter Omale, who highlighted Zainab’s age at the time of the offense.
Omale referenced the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), which prohibits capital sentences for individuals under 18.
The verdict marked the end of a three-year legal battle, which began with the siblings’ arraignment before the Minna Chief Magistrate Court Number One for a preliminary trial.
