In a courtroom filled with raw emotion, a Minna High Court in Niger State handed down a deeply unsettling sentence, condemning two teenage siblings to death and sentencing the third to life imprisonment. The court’s ruling has left their grieving parents, who watched helplessly from the sidelines, struggling to process the shocking fate of their children.
The emotional courtroom scene unfolded on January 15, 2025, when Justice Bilkisu Gambo Yussuf pronounced the judgment. Amina Aliyu, Aishat Mohammed, and Zainab Aliyu, three siblings from the Barkin Saleh area of Minna, had been convicted of a brutal crime that had left the local community shaken.
The crime, which occurred in March 2021, saw the violent death of Hafsat Aliyu, a woman said to have been a rival of Aishat. According to the prosecution, Aishat Aliyu, armed with a pestle, struck Hafsat repeatedly before setting her lifeless body ablaze in the kitchen. The murder was not only horrific in its violence but also shocking due to the involvement of three close family members. The crime was discovered when Hafsat’s husband, Alhaji Mohammed Sani, alerted the authorities after discovering his wife’s charred remains.
In the three years since the murder, the siblings stood trial for two counts of joint act and culpable homicide, both punishable by death under Nigeria’s penal code. The case, which sparked widespread attention in Niger State, was one of the most sensational in recent memory.
Testimonies from the Prosecution and Defense
During the trial, the prosecution brought forward four key witnesses, including Alhaji Mohammed Sani, the husband of the deceased. He described the horrifying discovery of his wife’s body, which had been severely burned, and testified to the intense familial conflict leading up to the murder.
The defense, however, sought to mitigate the charges, particularly in relation to Zainab Aliyu, who was under 18 at the time of the crime. Their plea centered on the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), which excludes those under the age of 18 from being sentenced to death for capital offenses. They argued that Zainab, being a teenager, should be treated with leniency.
The defense’s argument was supported by the fact that the ACJA had already been domesticated by the state in 2021, and as such, it was legally binding. Despite the gravity of the crime, Zainab’s age played a pivotal role in her sentencing.
The Court’s Ruling
Justice Yussuf acknowledged the complexities surrounding the case but emphasized the brutality of the murder, which could not be overlooked. After careful consideration, she found the two older siblings, Amina and Aishat, guilty of murder, sentencing them both to death by electrocution.
Zainab, who had been implicated but was considered a minor at the time of the murder, received a slightly more lenient sentence of life imprisonment. Justice Yussuf made it clear that, although the crime was severe, the law could not ignore her status as a juvenile at the time.
Shock and Grief from the Family
The court’s decision sent shockwaves through the courtroom. As the sentences were read aloud, the parents of the siblings were overcome with grief, their tears mingling with the sobs of other sympathizers who had gathered in support.
