Rita Odafe
On Tuesday, a Chief Magistrates’ Court in Akure placed a 15-year-old girl named Sandra Usman in custody. She is accused of fatally stabbing her classmate, 17-year-old Habib Salau, following a dispute.
The presiding judge, Chief Magistrate Olateju Odenusi-Fadeyi, did not take a plea from Sandra and ordered her detention at the Ondo State Juvenile Home, in Akure, while awaiting guidance from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
Sandra, who is in her final year at Akoko Anglican Grammar School in Arigidi Akoko, is charged with the murder of Salau during a confrontation that occurred after school hours outside their school.
She faces two charges: conspiracy and murder.
According to Police Prosecutor Josephine Awana, Sandra and an unidentified accomplice conspired to kill Salau on October 3, around 3:30 PM in Imo, Arigidi Akoko.
Awana stated that during the altercation, Sandra stabbed Salau, claiming he had confronted her after a prior misunderstanding. “The incident escalated into a fight, during which someone allegedly handed Sandra a knife with instructions to stab Salau in the neck,” the prosecutor detailed.
The charges brought against Sandra violate Sections 124 and 319(1) of the Criminal Code Laws of Ondo State, 2006.
Prosecutor Awana requested the court to continue holding the juvenile in custody while awaiting the DPP’s advice.
Magistrate Odenusi-Fadeyi approved the prosecutor’s request and set the case for a mention on February 2, 2025.
