There was a mild drama at Gezawa High Court, Kano,
yesterday as a girl-bride, Wasila Tasi, suspected to have killed her husband and
three others in April, failed to utter a word in court during her trial.
The high profile culpable homicide case that attracted
the attention of the human rights community was nearly stalled by refusal of
the 14-year-old suspect to speak.
Consequently, the presiding judge, Justice Muhammad
Yahaya was compelled to enter a plea of ‘not guilty’ on her behalf shortly
after the charged sheet was read and explained to her in the local dialect.
Wasila, looking perturbed at the dock, was repeatedly
asked whether she understood the content of what was read before her, but each
time she failed to utter a word as the court registrar ran through the
four-count charge of culpable homicide punishable by death under Section 221 A
of the Penal Code.
The decision of the court to enter a plea of not guilty
on her behalf revived the case as the prosecution counsel, Lamido Abba Soron
Dinki, offered to line up five witnesses to prove the merit of the case.
The presiding judge, therefore, adjourned the matter to
November 26 and 27 to continue hearing and also ordered that the suspect be
returned to remand home.
- vanguard
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