A Nigerian court packed full heard testimony of a 14-year-old who girl admitted to killing her 35-year-old husband with rat poison. She signed a police confession with a thumbprint because she cannot write. The girl, who came from a poor and conservative Muslim family, has been charged with the murder of her husband, Umar Sani, days after their marriage in Kano State Her statement was translated by homicide investigator Abdullahi Adamu from the Hausa language to English, because she does not understand English, The case has sparked outrage among human rights activists who say Nigeria should be treating the girl as a victim, noting the possibility that she was raped by the man she married. However, others in the region, which include relatives of the defendant and the deceased, have rejected the notion that said Tasiu was forced into marriage. They said that 14 is a common age to marry and that Tasiu chose Sani to be her suitor from among many other suitors. Prosecutors allege that Wasila Tasi’u, who comes from a poor, rural family in the north of the country, laced her husband Umar Sani’s food with poison. Saying that perhaps it was because she regretted the marriage A motion by defence lawyers to move the case to the juvenile court was rejected, despite claims by human rights lawyers that she was too young to stand trial for murder in a high court According to Human Rights Watch, Nigeria is not known to have executed a juvenile offender since 1997. The trial has been adjourned until February 16, 2015.
Posted on: Tue, 23 Dec 2014 16:32:52 +0000
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