Court frees housewife accused of killing her husband

An FCT High Court in Maitama has discharged and acquitted a housewife accused of killing her husband, Mohammed Matazu, a former reporter with the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) in Kaduna State. Amina Dauda, 28, was docked on May 22, 2013 before Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf on a one count of culpable homicide which the […]

An FCT High Court in Maitama has discharged and acquitted a housewife accused of killing her husband, Mohammed Matazu, a former reporter with the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) in Kaduna State.

Amina Dauda, 28, was docked on May 22, 2013 before Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf on a one count of culpable homicide which the police said violated Section 221 and is punishable with death.

The police alleged that Dauda sprayed Matazu with petrol in their residence at Gwarinpa, Abuja and set him ablaze.

In his judgement on Friday, however, Justice Baba-Yusuf, held that the police did not carry out their investigations professionally.

“They did not show true professionalism in the conduct of their investigation, all they did was take the defendant’s statement and visit to the scene and did not gather any other evidence,” the judge held.

Justice Baba-Yusuf further held that though there was evidence of death before the court, none of the witnesses called by the police gave evidence to the incident leading to the death of the deceased.

He also noted that going by the three extra-judicial statements made by the defendant, tendered and admitted as exhibits by the court, Amina did not admit the offence she was charged with.

The judge held that the investigating police officer (IPO) charged with the responsibility of investigating the case made a mockery of investigation as he failed to verify the story told by the defendant in her extra-judicial statements.

“The attitude of the investigating police officer shows a crass ignorance of his duty. The police did not make genuine efforts to gather evidence with which to convict the defendant.

“The defendant is hereby discharged and acquitted,” the judge held.