Five men sentenced to death for stabbing woman accused of witchcraft in Kano

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Five men sentenced to death for stabbing woman accused of witchcraft in Kano

A Kano State High Court sentenced five men to death by hanging on Monday for the murder of 67-year-old Dahare Abubakar, whom they accused of being a witch.

The convicted men—Da’luta Ibrahim, Abdulaziz Yahaya, Faisal Yahaya, Ibrahim Abdu, and Ayuba Abdulrahman—were found guilty of culpable homicide.

Justice Usman Na’abba ruled that the prosecution had proven the case beyond reasonable doubt, sentencing the five to death by hanging.

“I hereby sentence the defendants to death by hanging for homicide and acquit Nabi’a Ibrahim, the sixth defendant, as evidence shows she was not at the scene,” the judge stated.

The incident occurred on November 15, 2023, in Dadin Kowa Village, Wudil, Kano. According to prosecution counsel Lamido Abba-Sorondinki, the defendants conspired to kill Abubakar after suspecting her of witchcraft.

They followed her to the farm at approximately 8:30 a.m. and fatally stabbed her with dangerous weapons. The victim was later confirmed dead at Wudil General Hospital.

Abba-Sorondinki presented four witnesses and two exhibits, including the defendants’ extra-judicial statements and a medical report confirming the victim’s death. The defendants denied the charges.

The prosecution argued that the offence violated Section 221(a) in conjunction with Section 79 of the Penal Code Laws of Kano State, 1991.

Defence counsel Ma’aruf Yakasai presented eight witnesses, including the defendants, in their defense.