A Borno State High Court sitting in Maiduguri has sentenced a housewife, Fatima Abubakar, to life imprisonment for culpable homicide in the death of her husband, Goni Abba.
Justice A.B. Kumalia delivered the judgment on Feb. 13, 2024, after ruling that the prosecution had successfully established that the accused intentionally caused her husband’s death by poisoning his drinking water.
Fatima was said to have administered the substance on Oct. 19, 2022, after telling the deceased it was a traditional remedy for rheumatism. He later fell ill and died at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.
Although she reportedly admitted guilt during her initial arraignment, the court entered a not-guilty plea on her behalf because the charge carried a capital punishment. During the trial, the prosecution presented seven witnesses, including medical experts who confirmed the cause of death, and the court admitted her confessional statements indicating she bought the poison at Monday Market.
Justice Kumalia held that the prosecution proved the essential elements of culpable homicide: that a death occurred, the act was caused by the accused, and it was done intentionally. Her claim of being influenced by evil spirits was rejected due to lack of medical evidence.
While the initial charge under Section 221 of the Penal Code attracted the death penalty, the court convicted her under Section 224, which carries a lesser sentence. Fatima, a mother of two, pleaded for leniency, with her counsel noting she was a first-time offender.
The court subsequently sentenced her to life imprisonment.
