A Kano State High Court sitting at Bompai has sentenced Umar Auwalu, popularly known as Breaker, and Yakubu Dayyabu, also known as Wawo, to death by hanging for the murder of a 35-year-old woman, Fatima Abubakar, and her six children.
LIB reported that the housewife and her children, Maimuna, 17; Aisha, 16; Bashir, 13; Abubakar, 10; Faruk, 7; and Abdussalam, aged one and a half years, were brutally murdered at their residence located at Dorayi Chiranchi Quarters on January 17, 2026.
Police arrested Auwalu, the nephew to the deceased housewife, and two other suspects during a sting operation that lasted for seven hours.
Justice Nasiru Saminu of High Court No. 11 delivered the judgement on Friday, November 6, after finding the two defendants guilty of culpable homicide in the gruesome killing of the seven family members on January 17, 2026.
The court sentenced each of the convicts to death by hanging for the seven counts of culpable homicide and also handed them life imprisonment with hard labour for armed robbery.
The court, however, discharged and acquitted the third defendant, Isiyaku Abdul’azeez, after finding that the prosecution failed to establish his involvement in the murder and conspiracy charges.
Speaking after the judgement, Kano State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Abdulkarim Kabir Maude, described January 17, 2026, as a tragic day in the history of the state, saying the murder of the seven family members was an incident that would not be forgotten.
Maude, who led the prosecution team, said the court arrived at its decision after considering eight prosecution witnesses, thirty exhibits and the evidence presented by the defence.
He said the prosecution was satisfied with the judgement, adding that the court had found Umar Auwalu and Yakubu Dayyabu guilty of the murder of all seven victims and armed robbery.
The Attorney General said the government was prepared to ensure the execution of the death sentence if the convicts failed to appeal within the period allowed by law.
He commended the police for conducting a thorough investigation and members of the Ministry of Justice for their commitment to ensuring that justice was served.
Maude also disclosed that Isiyaku Abdul’azeez alias Chebe had been cleared in the present case but was facing two other cases for which judgements were expected at a later date.
During the proceedings, Justice Saminu expressed the gravity of the crime, saying that if there were a punishment more severe than death, the court would have imposed it on the convicts because of the magnitude of the killings.
The case followed the brutal attack on the family at their Dorayi residence in January, in which Fatima and her six children were killed, while her husband, Haruna Bashir, survived.
The prosecution was led by Maude and Barrister Salisu Muhammad Tahir, while Barristers J.I. Musa and A.I. Baba represented the defendants.
