Justice Nathan Musa, the Chief Judge of Adamawa State has sentenced four men for conspiring to murder a woman to death over witchcraft claims.

Bello Abdu (42), Maikudi Abdu (25), Sale Mohammed (26), and Musa Abubakar (42) were all accused of killing Amina Mohammed Dauji in the Yola South Local Government Area.

According to the prosecution team, Bello (1st convict) is an Elder Brother of Maikudi (2nd Convict), and he hired 2 other convicts for N20, 000, who then put the woman to her death.

Bello accused Late Amina of being responsible for Tobedo's death and Tobina's mother's deaths. He claimed that the victims mentioned Amina as a witch who attacked them in a dream.

The 1st convict admitted that he had a meeting on July 27, 2016, with his younger brother, and they devised a plan to end the life of the deceased.

According to him, Musa and Sale agreed to kill the woman during their meeting at Ngurore Market. However, he demanded N20, 000 which he would pay once the killing was complete. The hit men, armed with cutlasses and stormed the house of the deceased at night, while Maikudi remained outside. On July 28, 2016, the hit men entered the Late Amina's room and struck her on the forehead and stomach with their cutlasses, resulting in her death.

The daughter of late Amina ran to her father, Mohammed Dauji (husband of the Deceased), and told him that her mother had been murdered by some people. Mohammed Dauji received the news and suddenly emerged from his room to identify Maikudi among the convicts he had met in his compound. He pursued them, but couldn't catch anyone except the cutlass, which they left.

Mohammed Dauji returned back and met his wife lifeless in a pool of blood as a result of which he reported the matter which led to the arrest of the Convicts.

During trials, 6 witnesses were assembled by the Prosecution, who presented statements of Convicts and cutlass, which were all admitted into evidence. The Defendants, however, testified for themselves as DW1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively.

The convicts, who had not admitted to killing the woman, appealed to the Court for mercy. They informed the Judge that they had many wives and children, as well as other dependents, to care for.

Hon. Justice Nathan Musa delivered his judgment

"Having heard the pleas of the convicts, and being informed by the prosecution that they were all first-time offenders, I will temper justice with mercy and sentence them to 10 years in prison without the option of a fine."

He stated that it was proven from the statements of Convicts that the Police had obtained that the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Convicts hired 4th and 5th Convicts for the purpose of killing the Deceased.

A. S. Digil, Senior State Counsel 2, expressed appreciation to the court for the decision.

Source: https://aderonkebamidele.com/four-men-bag-10-year-jail-term-for-killing-woman-over-claims-of-witchcraft/