A Kano State High Court has sentenced two men, Umar Auwalu and Yakubu Dayyabu, to death by hanging for the murder of a 35-year-old woman, Fatima Abubakar, and her six children.
Gatekeepers News reports that the judgment was delivered on Friday by Justice Nasiru Saminu, who found the defendants guilty of culpable homicide, conspiracy and armed robbery.
The incident occurred on January 17, 2026, at Dorayi Chiranci quarters in Kano, where the defendants reportedly invaded the family’s residence, armed with sticks, an iron rod and a cutlass.
According to the Kano State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Abdulkarim Kabir-Maude, the attackers assaulted Fatima with a stick, an iron rod and a sewing machine, resulting in her death.
He said the six children were also stabbed with knives and a cutlass, while two of them were thrown into a well within the premises.
The victims were identified as Maimuna, 17; Aisha, 16; Bashir, 13; Abubakar, 10; Faruk, seven; and Abdulsalam, a toddler.
The prosecution told the court that the defendants also stole 200,000 naira from the deceased before fleeing the scene.
In his judgment, Justice Saminu held that the prosecution had established the guilt of the first and second defendants beyond reasonable doubt.
The court sentenced both men to death by hanging for culpable homicide and life imprisonment with hard labour for conspiracy and armed robbery.
However, the third defendant, Isyaku Yakubu, was discharged and acquitted after the court found insufficient evidence linking him to the crimes.
The Attorney-General said the prosecution presented eight witnesses and 30 exhibits during the trial, adding that the state government was prepared to pursue the implementation of the death sentence if the convicts did not exercise their right of appeal within the period allowed by law.
Meanwhile, the judgment followed an attack that left seven members of one family dead, while the husband and father, Haruna Bashir, survived.
