A Borno State High Court has delivered a life imprisonment sentence to a housewife convicted of murdering her husband by poisoning his drinking water.
The Fatal Poisoning Incident
Fatima Abubakar was found guilty of administering rat poison to her husband, Goni Abba, on October 19, 2022. The tragic incident occurred when Fatima presented the toxic substance to her husband as a traditional remedy for rheumatism.
Shortly after consuming the poisoned water, Goni Abba fell seriously ill and was rushed to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, where he later died. Medical personnel confirmed that the cause of death was poisoning, providing crucial evidence during the trial.
Court Proceedings and Judgment
Justice A. B. Kumalia presided over the case at the Borno State High Court in Maiduguri and delivered the judgment on November 28, 2025. The court found Fatima guilty of culpable homicide under Section 224 of the Penal Code.
During the trial, the prosecution presented seven witnesses, including medical experts who confirmed the poisoning as the cause of death. The court also admitted Fatima's confessional statements, where she admitted purchasing the poison from Monday Market and deliberately mixing it into her husband's drinking water.
Justice Kumalia ruled that the prosecution successfully proved all three essential elements of culpable homicide: that a death occurred, that the accused caused the death, and that the act was intentional.
Defense Arguments and Mitigation
Despite initially pleading guilty during her arraignment, the court entered a not-guilty plea on Fatima's behalf because the charge carried capital punishment. During the trial, Fatima attempted to rely on claims of being possessed by evil spirits, but the court dismissed this defense due to lack of medical evidence.
In her plea for mercy, Fatima told the court she was a mother of two children and expressed remorse for her actions. Her defense counsel also urged the court to consider that she was a first-time offender with no prior criminal record.
Following her arrest, Fatima had told journalists that she killed her husband because she was tired of the marriage and hated when any man came near her. She revealed that she had approached her parents multiple times demanding a divorce, but they always sent her back to her husband.
"I never wanted the marriage. Goni was my second husband; I got separated from my first husband because I hate marriage," Fatima had stated. She explained that she had previously run away from the marriage and slept in an uncompleted building for two weeks, only to return later.
The court noted that while the original charge under Section 221 attracted the death penalty, the conviction under Section 224 represented significant mitigation in her case. Justice Kumalia subsequently sentenced Fatima Abubakar to life imprisonment for the murder of her husband.
