Man Kills 10-Day Old Boy

A middle-aged man, Haruna Musa of Jogana village in Gabasawa Local Government Area of Kano State, Nigeria, has confessed before Chief Magistrate’s Court 7 in No-mansland that he killed 10 days old Abubakar, his own son, to save his family from public disgrace.

He told the court presided over by Aminu Kabara that he deliberately and consciously killed Abubakar who was conceived out of wedlock to save his face before his father and family members who were kept in the dark over his amorous affair with the lady that bore the child.

“I was trying to hide it away from my father who will be mad with me if he realised I impregnated the lady and she gave birthto the boy. But after I was arrested, he has now known and he even visited me while in detention.

“I eliminated the baby. I privately bath the corpse in accordance with Islamic injunctions and I also performed prayers on the dead body in line with Muslim rites before embarking on its interment. Please sir, have mercy on me,” he told the court.

He disclosed that he is of the suspicion that the mother of the child is a flirt, alleging that he possibly might not be responsible for the procreation of the deceased.

The prosecution led by Inspector Bashir Abubakar prayed that the matter be adjourned till a later date, noting that the matter is still under investigation by the police. The court, however, conceded to his prayers and the case was adjourned till 15 June.

The accused person is alleged to have impregnated Hauwa Haruna, a resident of Jogana in Gabasawa Local Government Area of Kano State.

According to police First Information Report, the alleged murderer forcefully fed the 10 days old child with rodenticides known in local parlance as Shinkafa Kpera, which resulted in the death of the child.

According to the police charge sheet, “the act was done with intent to prevent a child to be born or cause it to die after the child was born, contrary to section 235 of the penal code law; that on 16/4/2010 at about 1330hrs, one Hauwa Haruna of Jogana village reported at Gabasawa police that on the same date at about 0800hrs she went to fetch water from a well and on her return, she discovered that her husband Haruna Musa had poisoned her new born baby, Abubakar Haruna aged ten days, as a result he died while receiving treatment at Gezawa General hospital.”

—Maduabuchi Nmeribeh/Kano