Killer Child-Bride Speaks: ‘I Regret Killing my Husband, 17 days after Wedding’

Child-bride, Wasila Umar, accused of killing her husband and three of his friends while injuring 10 others after she served them a local meal laced with rat poison in Kano, says she now regrets her action.

14 year old Wasila had repeatedly told her parents that she was not in love with the man, but they still forced her into a marriage with 35 year old Umar Sani who was already married with two kids. Wasila said that at that time, she believed the only way for her to have a balanced life was to do away with her husband. The killings happened only 17 days after their marriage.

“Mine was a classical example of youthful exuberance; it dawned on me shortly after that it was a joke taken too far to resolve a forced marriage question”, Wasila, 14, said.  

The suspect, in tears as she spoke to Sunday Vanguard at Bompai police headquarters, Kano, where
she was being detained, added:

"I have never enjoyed the opportunity of going to Islamic school or acquiring Western education. My father forced me into this mess by stubbornly forcing me into a relationship I was not prepared to live in. Though my target was my late husband, I must confess that my blood went cold when I realized I had committed mass murder”. 

Narrating how she executed the mass murder, she said:

“On the fateful day, my husband’s meal was prepared by the senior wife and put  in my room as I was due in fulfillment of his rotational duty in a polygamous setting. I obtained the rat poison for just N100 and, at my convenience, mixed it with the local dish prepared for him. When he returned home for the feast, he came with those who were destined to die with him. I was restless but could not stop it from happening.  

I felt normal and slept after the incident but the  consequence of my action was clear when I was picked up by the police and I felt cold for the first time. Destiny appears to have played a wicked one on me at this early stage of my life   and I would rededicate the rest of my life to sincerely seek Allah’s forgiveness”. 

However, despite the overwhelming evidence the police have to prosecute the alleged culpable homicide, they seemed to be in a dilemma due to age of the suspect. Commenting on the development, Kano State Police Command Public Relations  Officer, ASP Magaji Musa Majia, said “the case has been referred to appropriate authorities  for the next line of action”. Majia told Sunday Vanguard: “I am assuring you that Wasila would appear in court soon because we have limitation on the number of days we can keep a suspect no matter the perceived weakness of the case or the personality involved”.