Two Sisters Sentenced to Death by Electrocution, Third Gets Life Imprisonment for Murder in Niger State

A Minna High Court has sentenced three siblings to death for the murder of a married woman in 2021. The convicts, Amina Aliyu, Aishat Mohammed, and Zainab Aliyu, all from the Barkin Saleh area of Minna, were found guilty of jointly killing Hafsat Aliyu.

Presiding over the case, Justice Balkisu Yusuf ruled that the prosecution had proven the charges of joint act and culpable homicide beyond a reasonable doubt. The three were initially arraigned before a Chief Magistrate Court for a preliminary trial before the case was transferred to the High Court.

According to court records, Amina Aliyu attacked Hafsat Aliyu, her husband’s second wife, on March 23, 2021. She struck her with a pestle and then set her body on fire in the kitchen. The deceased’s husband, Muhammed Sani, was among four witnesses who testified against the accused.

Defense counsel Peter Omale pleaded for leniency, particularly for the youngest defendant, Zainab Aliyu, who was a minor at the time of the crime. Acknowledging this, Justice Yusuf sentenced Zainab to life imprisonment instead of the death penalty. However, Amina Aliyu and Aishat Mohammed were sentenced to death by electrocution.