Court jails housewife for aborting her daughters Pregnancy

A 42 year old woman, Mrs. Martha Waziri, was on Monday sentenced to eight months imprisonment by a Magistrate court in Niger state for aborting her daughter’s three month old pregnancy.Mrs. Waziri was found guilty by the Kafin-Koro Senior Magistrate court in Paikoro Local Government Area of a two count brought against her by the Nigerian Police force in Kafin-Koro Divisional Command after a complaint was lodged at the Police station by the man who put her daughter in the family way.Mr. Stephen Dauda, a 35 year old man, claimed he had paid the dowry of Juliana Waziri (the woman’s daughter) a 19 year old, whom he described as his fiance and had sexual intercourse with her which resulted into a pregnancy terminated by Mrs. Waziri.

It was reliably gathered that, on the discovery that his fiance had terminated the pregnancy, Mr. Dauda inquired to know what led to the heinous act and she (Juliana) informed him that her mother was responsible for the termination of the pregnancy. He then reported the matter to the Police.

Mrs. Waziri was then arrested and charged to court on a two count bothering on conspiracy and causing abortion, which contravened Sections 232 and 97 of the Penal Code.

The Police Prosecutor, Inspector Augustine Agbo said, “on the 10th of August, 2014, a report was lodged at the Kafin-Koro Divisional police Command that, you Martha Waziri of Kafin-Koro town had caused the termination of a three month old pregnancy of your daughter named Juliana Waziri, an offence punishable under Section 232 and 97 of the Penal Code.”

When the two count was read to her by the presiding Magistrate Mrs. Ruth Ibrahim, she pleaded guilty and the prosecutor requested the court to commence summary trial and convict her accordingly in accordance to Section 157 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

In her judgement, the Senior Magistrate, Mrs. Ibrahim described as heartless the attitude of the mother to subject her own biological child to such an ungodly act by terminating her pregnancy.

In her rulings, she said “for your heartless act to terminate your own daughter’s pregnancy, the court will not have an option than to punish you to serve as a deterrent to other mothers like you. You are hereby sentenced to eight month imprisonment with an option of N10,000 fine and also, a compensation of N5,000, and on failure to do that, you are to spend the next eight months in jail.”