A Kano State High Court sitting at Bompai has sentenced two men to death by hanging for the murder of a 35-year-old housewife, Fatima Abubakar, and her six children in Dorayi Chiranci, Kano.

The convicts, Umar Auwalu, popularly known as Breaker, and Yakubu Dayyabu, were found guilty of the killings by Justice Nasiru Saminu in a judgment delivered on Friday, November 6, 2026.

The victims, who were killed on January 17, 2026, included Fatima and her children, Maimuna, 17; Aisha, 16; Bashir, 13; Abubakar, 10; Faruk, seven; and Abdussalam, aged one and a half years.

The court handed each convict seven death sentences, one for each victim, for culpable homicide punishable with death under Section 221 of the Penal Code.

They were also sentenced to life imprisonment with hard labour for conspiracy to commit culpable homicide and armed robbery.

However, the third defendant, Isyaku Yakubu, also known as Chebe or Chobe, was discharged and acquitted for lack of sufficient evidence.

During the trial, the court heard that the attackers gained access to the family’s home after Fatima opened the door for Auwalu, whom she reportedly knew as her nephew.

The prosecution told the court that the attackers locked the house and assaulted the family with dangerous objects, including a cutlass, a club and a sewing machine, killing all seven occupants.

Neighbours reportedly forced their way into the house after hearing cries for help but discovered that the attackers had fled.

Auwalu, who was identified as the leader of the group, reportedly admitted partial responsibility for the crime but appealed for leniency. He also alleged that a herbalist identified as Thomas supplied him with incense and instructed him to carry out similar attacks.