The girl, from a poor and conservative Muslim family, has
been charged with murdering her husband, Umar Sani, days
after their marriage in Kano State.
Because she does not understand English, homicide
investigator Abdullahi Adamu translated her statement from
the Hausa language.
She could not write her name, so “she had to use a
thumbprint,” he told the court, during his testimony on the
last day of the prosecution’s case.
Co-wife’s story
The state’s lawyers, who are seeking the death penalty,
also called to the stand Tasi’u’s co-wife, identified as
Ramatu.
Ramatu said she got along well with Tasi’u and that the two
had prepared the food together on April 5, the day Sani died.
She testified that because it was Tasi’u’s turn to share bed
with Sani, Tasi’u was also entitled to serve his meal.
“After putting the food in the dish, I did not see anybody put
anything in it,” Ramatu said.
She said later her husband was helped back to the house by
a neighbour, unable to walk and foaming at the mouth.
The court overflowed, with crowd spilling out of the gallery
door and people peering in through the open windows.
The case has sparked outrage among human rights
activists, who say Nigeria should be treating Tasi’u as a
victim, noting the possibility that she was raped by the man
she married.
Sharia
However, others in the region, including relatives of the
defendant and the deceased, have rejected the notion that
Tasi’u was forced into marriage.
They have said that 14 is a common age to marry and that
Tasi’u chose Sani from among many suitors.
A motion by defence lawyers to have the case moved to
juvenile court was rejected, despite claims by human rights
lawyers that she was too young to stand trial for murder in
a high court.
Further complicating the case is the role of Sharia, which
allows children to marry according to some interpretations.
While sharia is technically in force in Kano, law enforcement
officials have no guidelines concerning how it should be
balanced with the secular criminal codes, creating a
complex legal hybrid system.
According to Human Rights Watch, Nigeria is not known to
have executed a juvenile offender since 1997.
The trial has been adjourned until February 16, 2015.
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