A Kano State High Court on Friday discharged and acquitted Fatima Dahiru, who had been standing trial over the alleged killing of her co-wife, Wasila Yunusa, in Farawa Quarters of Kumbotso Local Government Area.
Fatima was arraigned on a one-count charge of culpable homicide following an incident said to have occurred on February 6, 2019, at about 3:30pm.
Earlier in the trial, the prosecution counsel, Lamido Abba-Sorondinki, told the court that Fatima allegedly struck the deceased on the head with a sharp object and sustained injury that reportedly led to her death.
The prosecution called seven witnesses, including the deceased’s husband, Isyaku Muhammad, who testified as the fifth prosecution witness.
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However, while delivering judgment, Justice Zuwaira Yusuf held that the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt, describing the evidence before the court as weak and riddled with contradictions.
The judge noted that none of the prosecution witnesses were eyewitnesses to the alleged murder and that no credible evidence was presented to establish how Fatima allegedly caused the death of the deceased.
“None of the prosecution witnesses were eyewitnesses to the murder, and no credible evidence was presented to show how the defendant allegedly killed the deceased,” Justice Yusuf ruled.
She further stressed that mere suspicion cannot ground a criminal conviction, adding that the prosecution failed to properly establish the essential elements of the offence.
“The prosecution failed woefully to establish the offence. Suspicion alone is insufficient to secure a conviction,” the judge said.
Justice Yusuf consequently found Fatima Dahiru not guilty of the charge and ordered that she be discharged and acquitted.