Court Jails Housewife For Abortion

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."

PUNCH