Teen-bride accused of poisoning husband, transferred to juvenile court in Kano

From Mustapha Adamu, Kano

The Kano state Court of Justice has ordered the transfer of the case of 14 year-old bride, Wasila Umar, who poisoned her husband and three others to death last two months juvenile court.

International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), has since taken over the case and sought for its transfer to a juvenile court.

The case was before the Magistrate Court number 34, sitting at Rijiyar Zaki area in Kano metropolis, presided over by magistrate Binta Muhammad Ahmad.

A letter issued on 30th April, 2014 and signed by the Chief Registrar, High Court of Justice, Sani Shehu Beli, contained statement directing the magistrate court to hand over the case to the Juvenile court sitting at Gidan Murtala in Kano.

However, the later was also copied to the chairperson, FIDA, Husaina Aliyu Ibrahim.

The teen-bride has been in detention since April 14, when police arrested her in Kauyen Ya’n Soro village in Gaya local government area of Kano state, following the demise of her 35-year-old husband Umar Sani and three others.

Wasila, who is standing trial at a magistrate court in Rijiyar Zaki Quarters of Kano metropolis, is accused of serving the unsuspecting quartet a local delicacy ‘danwake’, laced with rat poison, popularly known as Shinkafar bera in local parlance, which they ate and died shortly after.

Wasila, who was allegedly forced into marriage by her parents, a situation that prompted her to poison her husband, is already full of regrets for her action.

“I am calling on these people who offered to help me (FIDA) to please do all they can to set me free, because I did not know the gravity of what I have done; had I known he would die I wouldn’t have smeared his food with the rat poison,”the teenager said tearfully.

The case has generated great national and international interests, with several other non-governmental organisations (NGOs) offering legal aid for the embattled teen-bride.