by S’ola Filani
Wasila Umar, the Kano child-bride accused of killing her husband and three of his friends after serving them poisoned food in Kano, is begging for freedom.
Wasila has been in jail since April facing series of interrogations and forced to appear before a juvenile court.
She broke down in tears during the week pleading with the trial judge handling her case at the juvenile court to set her free because she was home sick.
In an interview with the Vanguard Umar said “I miss my mum who has not been allowed to visit me in a strange land. What, however, keeps me going is the fact that my family are with me at this critical point in my life, and I am highly comforted by their prayers.”
“My dad and aunt visited me a few days ago and conveyed my mother’s message but the vacuum created by her absence cannot be filled by anyone.
“I have been receiving help from the people I did not know from Adam, I mean women who have shown concern, and cater for my needs at the remand home where I have been detained by the authorities.
“I know for sure this trial will come to an end one day and I would reconcile with my family.”
Meanwhile her situation has attracted the attention of human right activists, including the Federation of Women Lawyers in Nigeria which practically took over her upkeep and defence.
The women lawyers group protested the arraignment of the suspected killer child-bride before a magistrate court, forcing the Kano State Judicial Council to transfer Wasila’s trial to the juvenile court.
