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| Child bride Wasila,murdered her husband and 3 men. |
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| The father of Wasila's husband.He want's justice for his son and victims. |
The case of the 14 year child bride from Kano who poisoned her husband's meal and killed 3 other people in the process has taken another turn.KANO State Government has charged the 14-year-old bride, suspected to have killed her husband and three others in April, with culpable homicide punishable by death.
The development followed the withdrawal of the case that has attracted local and international attention from the juvenile court to a Kano State High Court over what judicial sources attributed to “lack of jurisdiction by the lower court”.
The charge sheet obtained by Sunday Vanguard, entitled, “Application to prefer a charge under Section 185(B) of the Criminal Procedure code Cap.105 Laws of Kano State 1991, signed on behalf of the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice by a Senior State Counsel in the ministry, Lamido A Soron Dinki, lined seven prosecution witnesses.
The three-page documents stated inter alia: “By the power conferred upon the Attorney General of Kano State of Nigeria under Section 211(1) (a) (b) and (c) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and Section 7 of the Criminal Procedure Code Law Cap. 37 Laws of Kano State which delegate powers, I do hereby seek, under Criminal Procedure Code, to charge for trial of Wasila Tasiu”.
The charge sheet further read, “That you, Wasila Tasiu, 14 years, of Yansoro village , Gaya Local
Government Council, on or about the 5th day of April, 2014, at about 14:30 hours, at Yansoro village, Gaya within the Kano Judicial Division, did commit culpable homicide punishable with death in that you caused the death of four persons.
Government Council, on or about the 5th day of April, 2014, at about 14:30 hours, at Yansoro village, Gaya within the Kano Judicial Division, did commit culpable homicide punishable with death in that you caused the death of four persons.
“Wasila Tasiu allegedly killed Umar Sani, 35, Hassan Alhassan, 25, Nasiru Muhammad, 13, and Indo Ibrahim, 12, by poisoning them with a rat killer substance in their food, with intention of causing their deaths and you hereby committed an offence under Section 221 (a) of the Penal Code Law of Kano State 1990, Cap 105.”
The suit has been slated for hearing on August 4 at Kano State High Court, Gezewa just as Sunday Vanguard learnt that the suspect’s lawyers had been served.
Commenting on the development, Chairperson, Kano State chapter, Federation of Women Lawyers, Hajiya Hussaina Aliyu, confirmed the receipt of the legal documents, adding: “Competent hands have been assigned to handle the case”.
This whole case stinks,yes 4 men have died and it's always sad when anybody dies.But when you take a child and force her into marriage and abuse her daily it takes a toll and she reaches a breaking point.Only that poor child can tell what she has been through for her to come to the conclusion to poison her husband.She must have been mega desperate and seen it as the only way out.Of course this will never happen in the western world.But we are talking about Nigeria and Africa where in some parts they still operate by these archaic laws that subject children to terrible abuse in the name of child marriages.
This whole case stinks,yes 4 men have died and it's always sad when anybody dies.But when you take a child and force her into marriage and abuse her daily it takes a toll and she reaches a breaking point.Only that poor child can tell what she has been through for her to come to the conclusion to poison her husband.She must have been mega desperate and seen it as the only way out.Of course this will never happen in the western world.But we are talking about Nigeria and Africa where in some parts they still operate by these archaic laws that subject children to terrible abuse in the name of child marriages.
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| Child bride Waila's father,Tasiu Muhammad. |
"I miss my mum who has not been allowed to visit me in a strange land. What, however, keeps me going is the fact that my family are with me at this critical point in my life, and I am highly comforted by their prayers. My dad and aunt visited me a few days ago and conveyed my mother’s message but the vacuum created by her absence can not be filled by anyone. I have been receiving help from the people I did not know from Adam, I mean women who have shown concern, and cater for my needs at the remand home where I have been detained by the authorities. I know for sure this trial will come to an end one day and I would reconcile with my family" she saidMeanwhile "the family of Umar, Wasila's late husband insist that justice must be served as what she did was wicked". Sani Garba (pictured above right) who is late Umar's father says he has not forgiven the young girl as he's still nursing the wound her actions caused him
"I am talking to you with a heavy heart, because I am still nursing a fatal injury handed over to me by my daughter-in-law. Do you know that I lost three children to her action and you are asking whether I have forgiven her? The act was too painful to be forgiven and I don’t think I can forgive her. We understand the authorities have taken over the case, but whether they choose to stand by the truth remains their headache for I have since gone to my God who is sufficient for me” he saidSpeaking with Wasila’s father, Tasiu Muhammad (pictured above), he said it was a trying time for his daughter but he cannot abandon her now...
"What happened left a sour taste in our mouths but we don’t have to abandon the little girl. That is why I identify with her at this moment of trial. In such situation, we only look onto Allah for divine intervention. What has happened came with a fatal consequence on my family, and I have visited my in-laws in the company of my kinsmen to seek for their forgiveness on behalf of my daughter” her father saidMeanwhile the Federation of Women Lawyers in Nigeria have since taken up Wasila,the child bride's case and is working to see she gets the best legal representation.