A Kano State High Court sitting on Miller Road has sentenced one Aminu Muhammad to death by hanging for the gruesome murder of a three-year-old girl, Rafi’atu Junaidu, in 2018.
The judgment, delivered on Wednesday by Justice Maryam Sabo, brings to a close a protracted legal battle that began seven years ago, following the horrific killing that shocked residents of Jibga village in Bebeji Local Government Area.
During the trial, the prosecuting counsel, Barrister Badawiyya Shehu Bala, presented three witnesses whose testimonies, alongside the findings of the investigation, convinced the court of the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The defense, by contrast, presented only a single item of evidence.
According to court records, Aminu lured little Rafi’atu from her home to a nearby farm, where he strangled her. In a further act of extreme violence, he used a broken bottle to slit open her abdomen and removed her intestines.
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Disturbing revelations also emerged during the proceedings that Aminu was allegedly promised N400,000 by an unidentified individual to carry out the killing. However, the identity of the supposed instigator remains unknown, and investigations into the claim are ongoing.
Describing the act as “inhuman and brutal,” Justice Sabo emphasized in her ruling that the sentence should serve as a deterrent to others, underscoring the court’s commitment to ensuring justice, especially in cases involving the murder of minors.
“The court finds the accused guilty as charged and hereby sentences him to death by hanging,” she declared.