The first murder convict under the Shari'a law in Katsina State, Mallam Sani Rodi, 25, was executed yesterday by hanging at the Kaduna Convict Prison. Rodi was found guilty last month by a Katsina Court of killing with a machete, 35-year-old Hajiya Zainab Hamza, wife of his master, and her two children, Hadiza 3, and Abdullahi, who was three months old.
The Katsina State Education Commissioner, Alhaji Babajo Ibrahim, who led a three-man delegation consisting a representative each from Katsina and Daura emirate councils to witness the execution, told NAN that Rodi's execution was approved by Governor Umar Musa Yar'Adua. The execution was carried out at 10 a.m.
The commissioner said the execution was sequel to the expiration of the one-month grace to the convict to appeal against his conviction.
"He was convicted, despite his denial, by the Kofar Soro Shari'a Court in Katsina, presided over by Kadi Mustapha Darma, assisted by Kadis Usamatu Mustapha and Usman Musa," he said.
During the trial, the deceased's husband and an eyewitness were asked to swear 25 times each by the Holy Qur'an that Rodi killed Zainab and her two children which, Ibrahim said, they swore to.
The commissioner said "Rodi's corpse will be left in the mortuary of the Katsina Specialist Hospital for two days to enable people see it before burial".
Some interest groups were present at the execution, including the leader of the Izala sect in Katsina State, Sheikh Habibu Kaura, relations of Zainab's husband, her father and other relations.
Commenting on the execution, Kaura expressed reservations on the mode of executing Rodi, pointing out that since he used machete to kill the three people, Islam required that he also be killed in same manner.
"Only armed robbers are recommended in Islam to be executed by either hanging or firing squad," he said, adding: "I want our Islamic judges to consult religious books and read extensively to enable them have a full grasp of ways of carrying out such exercise".
Also commenting on the execution, Zainab's father, Alhaji Mamman Asuko, said: "I saw him being hanged and and I am happy that he has been killed".
A prison warder, who witnessed the execution said when Rodi was about to be hanged he requested those present to ask his parents to forgive him.