Tuesday, January 6, 2026 - The Court of Appeal has upheld the d3ath sentence imposed on Farida Abubakar for the m8rder of her former husband, Chief Magistrate Attahiru Muhammad-Ibrahim.
Abubakar st@bbed her ex-husband with a sharp knife on his
abdomen, neck and left arm which led to his d3ath on the night of August 25,
2022
A High Court in Birnin Kebbi sentenced her to d3ath by hanging in 2024.
In a unanimous judgment in appeal No. CA/S/75C/2025 on
Monday, January 5, 2025, a three-member panel of the appellate court, led by
Justice Tunde Awotoye, dismissed Abubakar’s appeal and affirmed the judgment of
the Kebbi State High Court delivered on June 3, 2024.
"The appeal lacks merit. The conviction and sentence of
the appellant as delivered by the High Court of Kebbi State on 03/06/2024 are
hereby affirmed,” the court ruled.
Abubakar was convicted in a case instituted by the People of
Kebbi State. She was represented by A. N. Salau, while the prosecution was led
by Zainab Muhammad Jabbo of the Kebbi State Ministry of Justice
At trial, the prosecution called 12 witnesses and tendered
several exhibits, including Abubakar’s extra-judicial statement and
circumstantial evidence linking her to the m8rder.
The appellate court held that the prosecution proved its
case beyond reasonable doubt and upheld the trial court’s reliance on the
doctrine of “last seen,” ruling that it was sufficiently supported by the
evidence on record.
Although Abubakar’s extra-judicial statements were not
considered confessional, the court held that all the essential elements of the
offences were established.
The court consequently affirmed her d3ath sentence by
hanging under Section 191(b) of the Kebbi State Penal Code, as well as a
seven-year jail term under Section 224(1) of the same law for causing grievous
hurt.
Abubakar has since filed a further appeal at the Supreme
Court, seeking to overturn the judgment of the Court of Appeal.
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