14-year Old Kano Child Bride, Faces Death Penalty For Allegedly Killing Husband. The father of a 14-year-old child bride who allegedly murdered her husband said Thursday he was appealing to a Nigerian court to spare his daughter from being sent to the gallows. Wasilat Tasiu is on trial for the murder of her 35-year-old husband, Umar Sani, who died after eating food that Tasiu allegedly laced with rat poison. We are appealing to the judge to consider Wasilats plea, her father, Isyaku Tasiu, told The Associated Press on Thursday. On Wednesday witnesses told the High Court in Gezawa, a town 60 miles outside Nigerias second largest city of Kano, that Tasiu killed her husband two weeks after their wedding in April. Three others allegedly died after eating the poisoned meal. The prosecution, led by Lamido Soron-Dinki, senior state council from the Kano State Ministry of Justice, is seeking the death penalty. The case calls into question the legality of trying a 14-year-old for murder under criminal law and the rights of child brides, who are common in the poverty-stricken, predominantly Muslim northern Nigeria region. She was married to a man that she didnt love. She protested but her parents forced her to marry him, Zubeida Nagee, a womens rights activist in Kano, told AP. Nagee and other activists have written a letter of protest to the Kano state deputy governor. Nagee said Tasiu was a victim of systematic abuse endured by millions of girls in the region. Activists say the blend of traditional customs, Islamic law and Nigerias constitutional law poses a challenge when advocating for the rights of young girls in Nigeria. Justice Mohammed Yahaya adjourned the court until December 22. Tasiu is in state juvenile custody.
Posted on: Sun, 30 Nov 2014 09:56:56 +0000