Family of Four Convicted for Beating Woman to Death Over Witchcraft Allegations
A Jigawa State High Court has sentenced a family of four; husband, wife, brother, and sister of the wife to death by hanging for beating 30-year-old Salamatu Musa to death over allegations of witchcraft.
The four convicted individuals are Hassan Isah, Adama Yahaya, Abdullahi Yahaya, and Maryam Yahaya.
They were convicted and sentenced to death five years after being arraigned for criminal conspiracy and culpable homicide in the Mallam-Madori local government area of the state.
Delivering the judgment, Justice Ado Birnin-Kudu stated that the defendants conspired to beat the 30-year-old woman with a stick, which medical experts stated was the cause of her death.
Birnin-Kudu emphasized that the court found them guilty of the offence, fully aware that their actions could lead to death.
“Therefore, the court hereby convicts and sentences them to six years of imprisonment each for the offence of criminal conspiracy and death by hanging for the offence of culpable homicide.”
According to the law, the convicts have a 90-day right to appeal the judgment delivered against them.
Earlier in 2019, the convicts claimed that the deceased was a witch and attributed the loss of their son to her supposed evil acts.
It was reported that the brother and sister were living with the deceased at the same address in Kwan-Dole Village under the Mallam-Madori local government area of Jigawa State when the incident occurred.
During the prosecution, the court heard from five witnesses and reviewed a medical report in addition to a confessional statement, which led to the court finding them guilty of criminal conspiracy and culpable homicide under Section 97 and Section 221(b) of the Penal Code Laws.
