Remember the 14-year-old bride that killed her husband? High Court says she must be prosecuted

by Ranti Joseph

The 14 year old child bride who murdered her husband may not get off easy, as a High Court sitting in Abuja on Tuesday rejected a motion to have murder charges against her dismissed.

The court said there was enough evidence for the case to proceed.

“I am of the opinion that there is a case against the accused. As such, I overrule the submission of no-case from the defence counsel,” High Court Judge Mohammed Yahaya said.

Tasi’u’s lawyers had argued that the state failed to establish her intent to kill Sani and questioned the reliability of a key prosecution witness.

The witness, a seven-year-old girl named Hamziyya who was identified as the sister of Sani’s other wife, testified that Tasi’u gave her money to buy the poison on April 5 2014, the day Sani died.

The defence said that relying on testimony from a minor contravened Nigeria’s Evidence Act and that the state’s case should therefore be thrown out.

The families of both the deceased and the accused have rejected claims that she was forced to marry a man more than twice her age, noting that 14 was an appropriate age to marry and that Tasi’u chose Sani from a range of suitors.

Some locals have called for Tasi’u to face stiff punishment to discourage other girls from taking similar action if they become unhappy in their marriage. But rights activists have demanded that Tasi’u be rehabilitated as a victim of a forced marriage, which likely included incidents of rape.

Sani died after eating food that Tasi’u allegedly prepared for a meal to celebrate their marriage. Three others who reportedly ate the food also died, but prosecutors have combined the three deaths into a single murder charge.

The state has concluded its case and following Tuesday’s ruling the defence was instructed to move forward with its own evidence when the trial resumes on April 29.

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