A 15-year-old girl, Esther Moses, broke down in tears before an Osogbo magistrate’s court on Monday when she admitted stabbing her husband, David Moses, to death during an argument over N1,000.
The teenager, who appeared before a Magistrate, Mr. Olalekan Ijiyode, was accused of killing her husband at 9am on November 19, 2010 in Arike Village, Ilesa, Osun State.
When asked by Ijiyode why she stabbed her husband, the suspect said she did not realise that it would lead to his death.
She said her husband took N1,000 belonging to her, recalling that she had warned him to return her money before they began fighting.
According to the charge sheet, the alleged offence was contrary to Section 319(1) of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Volume II, Laws of Osun State of Nigeria, 2003.
The mother of two was not represented by a lawyer during the proceedings.
She said the family of her husband had turned against her and her children as a result of the incident. She said her inlaws had refused to take custody of the children, forcing her family to care for them.
The court could not take her plea because magistrate courts have no jurisdiction over murder cases.
Ijiyode, who cautioned the suspect against acting in anger in future, advised persons present in court to learn a lesson from her predicament.
The magistrate advised the suspect to get a lawyer to represent her during her trial at the Osogbo High Court.
He ordered that Esther be remanded in Ilesa prison and later adjourned the case till February 23, 2011, for mention.
The teenager, who appeared before a Magistrate, Mr. Olalekan Ijiyode, was accused of killing her husband at 9am on November 19, 2010 in Arike Village, Ilesa, Osun State.
When asked by Ijiyode why she stabbed her husband, the suspect said she did not realise that it would lead to his death.
She said her husband took N1,000 belonging to her, recalling that she had warned him to return her money before they began fighting.
According to the charge sheet, the alleged offence was contrary to Section 319(1) of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Volume II, Laws of Osun State of Nigeria, 2003.
The mother of two was not represented by a lawyer during the proceedings.
She said the family of her husband had turned against her and her children as a result of the incident. She said her inlaws had refused to take custody of the children, forcing her family to care for them.
The court could not take her plea because magistrate courts have no jurisdiction over murder cases.
Ijiyode, who cautioned the suspect against acting in anger in future, advised persons present in court to learn a lesson from her predicament.
The magistrate advised the suspect to get a lawyer to represent her during her trial at the Osogbo High Court.
He ordered that Esther be remanded in Ilesa prison and later adjourned the case till February 23, 2011, for mention.
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