Court in Abuja sentences a 22-year-old cleaner to 20 years for fatal stabbing of her boyfriend during a fight in Kurudu, FCT

The Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Asokoro, Abuja, on Monday sentenced a 22-year-old cleaner, Maryam Adewumi, to 20 years’ imprisonment for the fatal stabbing of her 35-year-old boyfriend, Shallom Oliseh, in Kurudu, Abuja, on July 5, 2024.

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Justice Njideka Nwosu-Iheme delivered the judgment after finding Adewumi guilty of culpable homicide not punishable with death, following proceedings in which the prosecution established that a violent altercation between the couple led to Oliseh’s death.

The court heard that Adewumi stabbed the deceased in the chest with a knife during a physical confrontation, an act the prosecution said she knew could likely result in death.

Prosecution counsel, Adama Musa, told the court that the offence contravened Sections 220(a) and (b) of the Penal Code and was punishable under Section 221.

Adewumi, however, maintained in her defence that she acted in self-defence and had no intention of killing her boyfriend during the incident.

Delivering judgment, Justice Nwosu-Iheme held that the prosecution had successfully proven its case beyond reasonable doubt and convicted the defendant accordingly.

The defence counsel, Williams Ataguba, pleaded for leniency, informing the court that the convict was a mother of two with no prior criminal record and had been in custody since her arrest.

He urged the court to consider her family circumstances and time already spent in detention, arguing that she deserved mercy.

However, the judge sentenced Adewumi to 20 years’ imprisonment, with the sentence to take effect from the date of her arrest on July 5, 2024.

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The ruling brings closure to the high-profile case that drew attention due to the tragic circumstances surrounding the fatal domestic altercation.