The Kano State Government on Wednesday re-arraigned a 23-year-old man, Umar Auwalu, alongside two others before a State High Court over the alleged murder of a housewife, Fatima Abubakar, and her six children in Dorayi Chiranchi Quarters of Kano.
The defendants — Auwalu of Sabuwar Gandu Quarters, Isyaku Yakubu, 40, of Sagagi Quarters, and Yakubu Abdulaziz, 21, of Sabon Gida Sharada — are facing a nine-count charge bordering on conspiracy, culpable homicide and armed robbery.
The prosecution counsel, the Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary, Kano State Ministry of Justice, Salisu Muhammad-Tahir, told the court that the defendants allegedly committed the offences on January 17, 2026.
He said the defendants, armed with sticks, an iron rod and a cutlass, trespassed into the residence of the deceased at about 11:30 a.m. and robbed her of mobile phones.
According to him, the victim was attacked during the incident and later died from the injuries sustained.
Read also:
- MPAC calls for probe, arrest of American over alleged hate speech video
- 3 persons die in Akwa Ibom road crash involving truck, tricycle
- Blord remanded in Kuje Prison over alleged forgery, unauthorized use of VeryDarkMan’s identity
He further alleged that the defendants also caused the deaths of the deceased’s six children during the attack.
Auwalu, said to be a nephew of the deceased, pleaded guilty to the charges but denied involvement in aspects of the allegations, while the two other defendants pleaded not guilty.
The prosecution applied for summary trial of the first defendant and indicated its readiness to call witnesses against the others.
Defence counsel, K.I. Abdulkadir, urged the court to require the prosecution to prove its case.
The presiding judge, Justice Nasiru Saminu, held that under the Administration of Criminal Justice Law, a plea of not guilty must be entered in criminal matters, regardless of any admission by a defendant, and directed the prosecution to prove its case.
The matter was adjourned to April 22 for hearing.
In a related development, the state government also re-arraigned four defendants — Umar Auwalu, Yakubu Dayyabu, Isyaku Yakubu and Umar Ali — over the alleged rape and killing of a nine-year-old girl, Hafsat Auwal.
The defendants are facing a four-count charge of criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide, rape and abetment.
The prosecution alleged that the offence was committed on September 11, 2025, at Kwarin Barga in Kumbotso Local Government Area of the state.
All the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Justice Saminu ordered their remand in a correctional facility and adjourned the case to April 27 and April 28 for hearing.
The court also fixed April 20 for the arraignment of the defendants in another case involving alleged robbery and burning of two housewives at Tudun Yola Quarters in November 2025.
The adjournment followed the decision of the second and third defendants to withdraw the services of their counsel and seek new legal representation.
