Kano court sentences two men to death for killing housewife, six children

A Kano State High Court has sentenced two men to death by hanging for the murder of a 35-year-old housewife, Fatima Abubakar, and her six children in the Dorayi Chiranci area of the state.

The convicts, Umar Auwalu, popularly known as Breaker, and Yakubu Dayyabu, were each handed seven death sentences by Justice Nasiru Saminu on Friday for the killings, which occurred on January 17, 2026.

The victims were Fatima and her children: Maimuna, 17; Aisha, 16; Bashir, 13; Abubakar, 10; Faruk, seven; and one-and-a-half-year-old Abdussalam.

The court imposed a separate death sentence on each convict for every victim, bringing the total to seven death sentences each under Section 221 of the Penal Code, which prescribes death for culpable homicide.

The judge also sentenced the two men to life imprisonment with hard labour for conspiracy to commit culpable homicide and armed robbery.

However, the third defendant, Isyaku Yakubu, also known as Chebe or Chobe, was discharged and acquitted.

During the trial, the prosecution told the court that the attackers gained access to the family’s home after Fatima opened the door for Auwalu, whom she knew as her nephew.

The court heard that the assailants subsequently locked the house and attacked the occupants with a cutlass, a club and a sewing machine, killing all seven members of the family.

Neighbours reportedly forced their way into the house after hearing screams for help but discovered that the attackers had fled.

Auwalu, who was described during the proceedings as the leader of the gang, reportedly admitted partial responsibility for the crime and appealed for leniency.

He also alleged that a herbalist identified as Thomas had supplied him with incense and instructed him to carry out similar attacks.