A Chief Magistrates’ Court in Kafanchan, Kaduna State, has remanded a 30-year-old woman, Mercy Michael, in a correctional facility for allegedly killing her daughter with rat poison.
Michael was charged by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, with culpable homicide, contrary to Section 189 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law.
The NSCDC prosecutor, Mr Marcus Audu, informed the court that on December 11, one Godfrey Sunday, a resident of Fadia Bakut, Zonkwa, reported the incident to the Corps’ office. Audu stated that on December 10, the defendant allegedly fed her eight-month-old daughter with rat poison for reasons yet to be explained.
He explained that the baby was rushed to the General Hospital in Zonkwa but tragically died the following day.
The prosecutor further noted that the case was initially reported to the Salama Sexual Assault Referral Centre in Kafanchan before being referred to NSCDC for investigation.
The presiding judge, Mr. Samson Kwasu, declined to take the plea of the accused, citing a lack of jurisdiction.
Kwasu directed the prosecutor to forward the case file to the State Director of Public Prosecution for legal advice. The judge subsequently adjourned the case to December 17 for further mention.
