A Kano State High Court has sentenced a 19-year-old woman, Saudat Jibrin, to death by hanging after finding her guilty of murdering her husband just nine days after their wedding.
Justice Maryam Sabo delivered the judgment on Thursday, ruling that the prosecution had proved the charge of culpable homicide beyond reasonable doubt. The court sentenced Jibrin to death by hanging and informed her that she has 90 days to appeal the verdict.
According to prosecutors, the incident occurred on May 5, 2025, in Farawa Quarters, Kano State. The prosecution told the court that Jibrin allegedly laced her 30-year-old husband Salisu Idris’ Zobo drink with poison before attacking him with a knife, resulting in his death. The offence happened only nine days after the couple got married. During the trial, the prosecution called witnesses who testified in support of its case.
Jibrin denied the allegations and testified in her own defense. Her lawyer, Abdulfatah Muhammad, urged the court to temper justice with mercy, arguing that she had changed while in custody. He told the court she had memorized the Holy Qur’an during her detention and appealed for leniency, noting that she was the eldest child in her family and her younger siblings depended on her.
Justice Sabo, however, held that the evidence presented by the prosecution was sufficient to sustain a conviction under Section 221(a) of the Kano State Penal Code, which prescribes the death penalty for culpable homicide. The judge subsequently imposed the sentence and advised the convict of her right to challenge the decision at the appellate court within 90 days.
The judgment has sparked widespread debate on social media, with many discussing the circumstances surrounding the marriage, the couple’s age difference and broader conversations about early marriages and domestic violence in northern Nigeria. Others have expressed sympathy for both families while reflecting on the tragic outcome of a marriage that lasted little more than a week.
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