After seven years of trial, Justice Maryam Sabo of a Kano State High Court has sentenced one Aminu Muhammad to death by hanging for the gruesome murder of a three-year-old girl.

The victim, Rafi’atu Junaidu, was murdered in 2018 after Mohammad lured her to Jibga village in Bebeji Local Government Area.

Delivering the Judgment on Wednesday, Justice Sabo found Mohammad guilty as charged and convicted him, bringing to a close a protracted legal battle.

The prosecuting counsel, Barrister Badawiyya Shehu Bala, presented three witnesses whose testimonies, along with the investigation’s findings, convinced the court that the defendant was guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

According to court records, Mohammad lured the little Rafi’atu from her home to a nearby farm, where he strangled her to death. In a further act of extreme violence, it was reported that Muhammad used a broken bottle to slit open her abdomen and removed her intestines.

Disturbing revelations also emerged during the proceedings that Mohammad allegedly promised N400,000 to an unidentified individual to carry out the killing.

However, the identity of the supposed instigator remains unknown, and investigations into the claim are ongoing.

Describing the act as “inhuman and brutal,” Justice Sabo emphasised in her ruling that the sentence should serve as a deterrent to others, underscoring the court’s commitment to ensuring justice, especially in cases involving the murder of minors.

“The court finds the accused guilty as charged and hereby sentences him to death by hanging,” she declared. (The Guardian, but headline rejigged)