17th November, 2022
Bosede Olufunmi
Malam Mustapha Abubakar, a neighbour of slain Ummukulsum Sani, 22, on Thursday told a Kano High Court that the Chinese national Frank Geng-Quangrong was very angry when he visited his victim’s house on Sept. 16.
Frank, who lives at Railway Quarters Kano, is charged with culpable homicide.
Led in evidence by the Prosecution Counsel and Attorney General of Kano State, Mr Musa Abdullahi-Lawan, Abubakar said on the fateful day, he was on the porch of his house talking on his phone when he saw the defendant knocking aggressively on the gate of late Ummukulsum’s house.
“I approached him and told him to calm down and that the occupants will open the gate.
“At that moment, Frank went to his car and almost immediately started knocking on the gate again. At that moment I left him and continued with my call,” he said.
The witness said a few minutes later, he saw the deceased’s mother outside calling for help.
“She shouted for help saying he wants to kill her daughter.
“I entered the house and attempted to open the door but it was locked.
“I jumped through the window and held the defendant by the collar from the back and saw a knife in his hand with blood, ” Abubakar said.
Also testifying, Insp. Chinda Chinwe, attached to the culpable homicide section at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Kano Police tendered the knife as exhibit ”A”.
The officer said:” on Sept.16, I was on duty when a case of culpable homicide from Dorayi Babba police station was dispatched to our office at the state CID.
“As the team leader, I asked him what transpired between him and late Ummukulsum, the defendant said she got his number through his friend Asina in 2020.
”The defendant said Ummukulsum told him she wanted to go out with him and he fell in love with her until she got married in 2022.
The witness said the defendant got divorced after six months and they started dating.
The defendant told me that on Sept.16, at about 9 pm, Ummukulsum slapped him and scratched his hand when he went to pick up his dog ‘Charlie’ and threatened to call the police on him.
The defence counsel, Mr Muhammad Dan’azumi, while cross-examining asked Abubakar whether the door was locked from inside and outside.
Dan’azumi also asked Chinwe how long she had worked in the homicide department and she said for more than 20 years.
Justice Sanusi Ado-Ma’aji, ordered the remand of the defendant in a Correctional centre and adjourned the matter until Friday for continuation of the hearing.
NAN reports that Ummukulsum’s mother Fatima Zubairu,43(PW1) and her sister Asiya Sani, 20, as Pw2 told the court how the defendant brought out a knife and how she pleaded for life.
The defendant was alleged to have stabbed his Nigerian girlfriend Ummukulsum with a knife in her house at Janbulo quarters Kano for undisclosed reasons on Sept.16, at about 9 p.m.
According to the prosecutor, the offence contravened the provisions of Section 221(b) of the Penal Code.