A Kano State High Court has sentenced Umar Auwalu and Yakubu Dayyabu to death by hanging for the gruesome murder of 35-year-old housewife, Fatima Abubakar, and her six children at Dorayi Chiranchi Quarters, Kano.
The court also sentenced the two men to life imprisonment with hard labour for conspiracy and armed robbery.
However, the third defendant, 21-year-old Isyaku Yakubu, was discharged and acquitted after the court ruled that there was insufficient credible evidence linking him to the crime.
Delivering judgment on Friday, November 6, 2026, Justice Nasiru Saminu held that the prosecution had proved the charges against Auwalu and Dayyabu beyond reasonable doubt. He described the killing as a horrific crime, lamenting that seven lives had been lost.
“How I wish there is a punishment heavier than this. My emphasis is not to administer vengeance but justice,” the judge said.
The prosecution told the court that the defendants attacked Fatima’s residence on January 17, 2026, armed with sticks, an iron rod and a cutlass. They stole two mobile phones and ₦200,000 before attacking the woman and her six children.
The children were identified as Maimuna, 17; Aisha, 16; Bashir, 13; Abubakar, 10; Faruk, seven; and toddler Abdulsalam Haruna. The prosecution said that Faruk and Abdulsalam were thrown into a well within the premises after the attack.
During the trial, Auwalu pleaded guilty to the charges but denied throwing the children into the well, while Dayyabu and Isyaku pleaded not guilty.
The prosecution presented eight witnesses and 30 exhibits, including medical reports, confessional statements, bloodstained items, the murder weapon, cash, mobile phones and audio-visual recordings.
The offences were prosecuted under Sections 97, 221 and 298(c) of the Penal Code.
