Kano court sentences two to death for killing woman, six children

A Kano State High Court has sentenced two men to death by hanging for killing a woman and her six children in Dorayi Chiranci, Kano, on January 17, 2026.

The court also sentenced the convicts to life imprisonment with hard labour for armed robbery, while a third defendant, Isiyaku Abdul’azeez, popularly known as Chebe, was discharged and acquitted of the murder and conspiracy charges.

The judgment was delivered on Friday by Justice Nasiru Saminu of High Court No. 11, following the conviction of the two defendants on seven counts of culpable homicide.

Kano State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Abdulkarim Kabir Maude, who led the prosecution, described the killings as one of the darkest moments in the state’s history.

“January 17, 2026, was a tragic day in the history of Kano State. The killing of seven members of one family is an incident the people of this state will never forget,” Maude said.

He said the conviction followed the presentation of eight prosecution witnesses, 30 exhibits and evidence from the defence.

According to him, the judgment vindicated the prosecution’s position on the involvement of the two convicts in the killings and armed robbery.

Maude also expressed the state government’s readiness to pursue the implementation of the death sentence if the convicts failed to exercise their right of appeal within the period prescribed by law.

He commended the police for what he described as a thorough investigation and praised officials of the Ministry of Justice for their contributions to securing the conviction.

On the acquitted defendant, the Attorney General disclosed that Abdul’azeez was still facing two separate cases, with judgments expected in due course.

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Earlier, Justice Saminu emphasised the gravity of the crime, noting that the magnitude of the killings warranted the harshest possible punishment.

The case stemmed from an attack on the family home in Dorayi Chiranci on January 17, 2026, during which Fatima Abubakar and her six children were killed. Her husband, Haruna Bashir, survived the attack.

The prosecution team comprised Maude and Barrister Salisu Muhammad Tahir, while J. I. Musa and A. I. Baba represented the defendants.