A 14-year-old girl in Kano State, Wasila Tasi’u, may face the hangman’s noose in the coming days if convicted of murder. The young bride is accused of killing her 35-year-old husband, Umar Sani, in April with rat poison.
During her trial on Thursday at a High Court in Gezawa, a town on the outskirts of Kano, Wasila was charged with one count of murder.
Lead prosecutor, Lamido Abba Soron-Dinki, said that if convicted, the teenager would be punished by death, ruling out any form of mercy.
Wasila, who many critics said was forced to marry Sani, however pleaded not guilty when the charge was explained to her after initially refusing to respond in court and forcing the case to be adjourned for half an hour.
Though the affected families have denied claims that the young bride was forced into marriage and that their relationship followed the traditional system of courtship, activists have condemned the persecution of the teenager, calling for her immediate and unconditional release.
The presiding judge, Mohammed Yahaya, adjourned the suit to November 26, 2014.
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