Housewife who allegedly set husband ablaze to know fate May 30

Amina Dauda, a housewife accused of killing her husband, Mohammed Matazu, a former reporter with the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Kaduna, by setting him ablaze, to know her fate on May 30.

Dauda, 28, was arraigned before Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf, on May 22, 2013, on three counts bordering on culpable homicide, punishable with death.

Justice Baba-Yusuf, fixed the date after the adoption of written addresses by Mr Abubakar Musa, prosecuting counsel and defendant counsel, Mr Charles Yoila.

Musa had urged the court to go ahead and convict the defendant, adding that the five witnesses brought by the prosecution produced evidence that pointed at the defendant’s commission of the offence.

” The act of fighting which the defendant engaged in that led to the commission of the offence was unlawful” he said.

Responding, Yoila urged the court to discharge the defendant of the allegation against her.

NAN reports that the prosecutor alleged that Dauda, set sprayed Matazu with petrol in their residence at Gwarinpa, Abuja, on Feb. 7, 2013.

NAN reports that on April 8, 2014, during the trial, a prosecution witness, Usman Idoko, the court that the late journalist, was taken to three hospitals before he died from injuries sustained from the fire set to him by his wife.

Idoko said the deceased, also a legislative aide to Sen. Mohammed Ibrahim (PDP-Kaduna), was taken to the hospitals by neighbours who were at the crime scene.

Idoko said Matazu was also moved to the National Hospital Abuja, where he was referred to the ABU Teaching Hospital Zaria, Kaduna State.

“My lord, on Feb. 21, 2013, I received news that Matazu had passed on through a letter signed by Sen. Ibrahim. The senator also sent us the death certificate of the late Matazu,’’ he said.

After the death of the victim, Idoko said that the accused was arrested and kept at the State Criminal Investigation Department headquarters, Abuja, for further investigation, where he took her statement and read her rights.

After his testimony, the prosecution counsel, Mr Sunday Adewumi, prayed the court for an adjournment for other witnesses to appear in court.

He said the offence violated the provisions of Section 221 of the Penal Code.