At a time many countries all over the world are doing everything to protect under aged girls from being given out in marriage, the Kano State government is seeking the death sentence for a 14-year-old child-bride, Wasila Umar Tasiu, who allegedly poisoned to death a man she was forced to marry with rat poison.
The little girl who has been traumatised by the event, faces death as she has been charged by the state government with culpable homicide punishable by death.
In April this year, the 14-year-old Wasila, from Yansoro village, Gaya Local Government Council of Kano, was forced to marry an older man while she insisted on being sent to school.
Not satisfied with her situation, the child-bride allegedly mixed rat poison into the food she served the husband and unfortunately, his three relatives who ate the food also died from the poison.
According to the police then, she admitted to killing her husband and against condemnation from various human right groups both within and outside the country for her to be tried in a juvenile court, Wasila's case was transferred to a Kano State High Court over what judicial sources attributed to “lack of jurisdiction by the lower court”.
She was subsequently tried and found guilty of murder.
Now the state prosecution has urged the Attorney General of Kano State to authorise her death sentence to be carried out.