KANO State Government has charged the 14-year-old bride, suspected to have killed her husband and three others in April, with culpable homicide punishable by death.
The development followed the withdrawal of the case that has attracted local and international attention from the juvenile court to a Kano State High Court over what judicial sources attributed to “lack of jurisdiction by the lower court”.
The charge sheet obtained by Sunday Vanguard, entitled, “Application to prefer a charge under Section 185(B) of the Criminal Procedure code Cap.105 Laws of Kano State 1991, signed on behalf of the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice by a Senior State Counsel in the ministry, Lamido A Soron Dinki, lined seven prosecution witnesses.
The three-page documents stated inter alia: “By the power conferred upon the Attorney General of Kano State of Nigeria under Section 211(1) (a) (b) and (c) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and Section 7 of the Criminal Procedure Code Law Cap. 37 Laws of Kano State which delegate powers, I do hereby seek, under Criminal Procedure Code, to charge for trial of Wasila Tasiu”.
The charge sheet further read, “That you, Wasila Tasiu, 14 years, of Yansoro village , Gaya Local Government Council, on or about the 5th day of April, 2014, at about 14:30 hours, at Yansoro village, Gaya within the Kano Judicial Division, did commit culpable homicide punishable with death in that you caused the death of four persons.
“Wasila Tasiu allegedly killed Umar Sani, 35, Hassan Alhassan, 25, Nasiru Muhammad, 13, and Indo Ibrahim, 12, by poisoning them with a rat killer substance in their food, with intention of causing their deaths and you hereby committed an offence under Section 221 (a) of the Penal Code Law of Kano State 1990, Cap 105.”
The suit has been slated for hearing on August 4 at Kano State High Court, Gezewa just as Sunday Vanguard learnt that the suspect’s lawyers had been served.
Commenting on the development, Chairperson, Kano State chapter, Federation of Women Lawyers, Hajiya Hussaina Aliyu, confirmed the receipt of the legal documents, adding: “Competent hands have been assigned to handle the case”.