14 year old Wasila Umar stands accused of killing her husband and three of his friends 17 days after their arranged marrriage in Kano.
She committed the act using rat poison obtained for N100 ($0.70), which she mixed in a meal prepared for the husband.
Recounting her ordeal from Bompai Police HQ in Kano, the youngster said, “Mine was a classical example of youthful exuberance; it dawned on me shortly after that it was a joke taken too far to resolve a forced marriage question.
“I have never enjoyed the opportunity of going to Islamic school or acquiring Western education. My father forced me into this mess by stubbornly forcing me into a relationship I was not prepared to live in.
“Though my target was my late husband, I must confess that my blood went cold when I realized I had committed mass murder.”
She narrated how she carried out the killings, “On the fateful day, my husband’s meal was prepared by the senior wife and put in my room as I was due in fulfillment of his rotational duty in a polygamous setting.
“I obtained the rat poison for just N100 and, at my convenience, mixed it with the local dish prepared for him. When he returned home for the feast, he came with those who were destined to die with him. I was restless but could not stop it from happening.
“I felt normal and slept after the incident but the consequence of my action was clear when I was picked up by the police and I felt cold for the first time.”
Seeming remorseful, she said “Destiny appears to have played a wicked one on me at this early stage of my life and I would rededicate the rest of my life to sincerely seek Allah’s forgiveness.”