I killed her after she told me the baby was mine and not her husband’s. With that stark confession, Sha’aibu Abdulkadir sealed his fate before a Kano State High Court, which has now sentenced him to death for the murder of a newly married pregnant woman

The victim, 23-year-old Rumasa’u Shuaibu, had only recently begun her married life when she was found dead in her home in Kano State. Prosecutors told the court that Abdulkadir, with whom she had allegedly maintained a secret relationship, visited her residence in 2025. During that visit, an argument erupted after she informed him she was pregnant and insisted the unborn child was his, not her husband’s

According to evidence presented in court, Rumasa’u demanded N500,000 from Abdulkadir and threatened to reveal their relationship if he refused to pay. The prosecution said this confrontation turned deadly when Abdulkadir decided to silence her permanently, killing her in her own home

The state charged him with culpable homicide punishable by death under the penal laws of Kano State. During the trial, the prosecution called three witnesses, including investigators who detailed how the crime was uncovered and how Abdulkadir was linked to the killing. Medical and documentary evidence were also tendered to support the charge

Abdulkadir took the stand in his own defence, admitting that he had gone to see Rumasa’u and that she had confronted him about the pregnancy. He told the court he acted after she insisted the baby was his and threatened to expose him, a revelation he claimed would destroy his life and reputation. His account, however, did not sway the court

In her judgment, Justice Farida Dan Baffa of High Court No 22 held that the prosecution had proved the case of culpable homicide beyond reasonable doubt. She found that Abdulkadir intentionally caused the death of Rumasa’u following the dispute over the pregnancy and the alleged demand for money

Describing the act as a deliberate and unjustifiable taking of life, the judge convicted Abdulkadir and sentenced him to death by hanging. The ruling underscores the gravity with which Nigerian courts continue to treat violent crimes against women, particularly in cases involving domestic and intimate relationships

For Rumasa’u’s family, the judgment brings legal closure, but it cannot restore the young woman whose life, and that of her unborn child, was cut short in a moment of fatal rage