From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi
High Court Number 10, sitting in Bauchi, has sentenced a father to six years imprison for administering chemical herbicide to his 9 month old own child.
It could be recalled that the Counsel to the State Ministry of Justice Barrister Sha’awanatu Yusuf earlier told the court that on June 6, 2013, the suspect Shitu Adamu, of Zakshi village, in Toro local government area, poisoned his nine old biological son by administering herbicide chemical to him, as a result of which the son died on the spot.
She said the suspect act is culpable homicide punishable with death, contrary to section 221 of the Penal Code.
In his evidence, Police investigator, Sargent Caiphas Adamu told the court that the accused, who is a father of two children, had confessed to have committed the crime during investigation.
He told the Police that his nine month-old was sick and his wife who was four month pregnant at that time took him to hospital and his wife gave him the list of prescription he has no single Kobo at that time , he was confused he administered the remaining chemical herbicide to him thinking that it will cure him and the boy died.
The Prosecutor said the accused had attributed his action to poverty and unemployment and regretted his action in his confessional statement.
In her evidence the wife of the accused Lantana Shitu said she went to fetch water in a pond, on June 6, 2013.
“When I came back, I saw my nine month old son was vomiting then he died the same day; I don’t know what had happened until three days when our village head called my husband about the issue and he confessed that he was the one who poisoned him with herbicide chemical”, she narrated.
Counsel to the accused, Barrister Abubakar Saddique Idris did not argue further and pleaded for leniency.
The presided judge, Justice Abdulkadir Hussein Suleiman, in his judgement yesterday, said, “I have considered the plea for leniency made by his counsel on his behalf; I have also taken into account that the convict is first offender and appeared to be remorse throughout the trial, taking all these into consideration.
“I hereby sentence him to six years’ imprisonment, commencing from the 24 th day of June 2013, the day he was first taken to remand”, he stated.
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