Court Sentences Two Men to Death for Killing Mother, Six Children

The Kano State High Court has sentenced two men, Umar Auwal and Yakubu Dayyabu, to death by hanging for killing a housewife, Fatima Abubakar, and her six children in the Dorayi Chiranchi area of the state.

The presiding judge, Justice Nasiru Saminu of High Court No. 11, delivered the judgment on Friday after reviewing the evidence and testimonies presented during the trial.

The court found Auwal, popularly known as Breaker, and Dayyabu, also known as Wawo, guilty of killing Fatima and her six children on January 17, 2026.

Justice Saminu consequently sentenced both men to death by hanging.

“The brutal killing of the mother and her six children was a horrific crime that challenged the conscience of society,” the judge said.

“How I wish there was a punishment heavier than this. My emphasis is not to administer vengeance but justice.”

The court also sentenced the two men to life imprisonment for conspiracy and armed robbery.

However, the judge discharged and acquitted the third defendant, Isiyaku Yakubu, of the charges of conspiracy and murder.

The prosecution was led by the Kano State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Abdulkarim Maude, alongside Salisu Tahir.

Maude said the judgment had confirmed the prosecution’s position on the involvement of the two convicts in the killings and armed robbery.

He also said the state government was ready to pursue the implementation of the death sentence if the convicts failed to exercise their right of appeal within the period allowed by law.

The Attorney-General commended the police for what he described as a thorough investigation and praised officials of the Ministry of Justice for their role in securing the conviction.

On the acquitted defendant, Maude disclosed that although Isiyaku had been cleared in the case, he was still facing two separate cases, with judgments expected later.

The defendants were represented by J. I. Musa and A. I. Baba.

Fatima and her six children were murdered at their home in Dorayi Chiranchi, Kano, in a case that sparked widespread public concern and condemnation.