Kano Court Hears Confession in Gruesome Murder of Aunt and Six Children

The Kano State High Court has heard a chilling confession from a 23-year-old man, Auwalu, who is accused of murdering his aunt, Fatima Abubakar, and her six children. Auwalu claimed that he carried out the gruesome act on the instructions of a herbalist named Thomas, who allegedly provided him with incense and instructed him to commit similar crimes. The suspect made this shocking revelation while defending himself before Justice Nasiru Saminu at High Court No.11. According to Auwalu, the herbalist's instructions led him to commit the heinous crime, and he also claimed that he had mentioned the names of his co-defendants, Isyaku Yakubu Chobe and Yakubu Dayyabu, only after being tortured by the police. The court heard that the police investigation led to the arrest of Auwalu and two others, who were initially arraigned at Magistrates' Court No. 2, Nomansland, on February 5, 2026, on an eight-count charge including conspiracy, culpable homicide, robbery, and rape. The case was later transferred to the High Court in April, where the suspects were re-arraigned on nine counts. While Auwalu admitted partial guilt, his co-defendants pleaded not guilty. The trial has been adjourned until July 21 for further hearing. The incident, which occurred on January 17, sent shockwaves through the Dorayi Chiranci community, where Fatima Abubakar and her six children were brutally slaughtered in their home. The prosecution team, led by Safiya Yalwati and Zaharaddeen Hamisu Kofar Mata, represented the police investigator, Corporal Aliyu Jamilu, during the court session.