Man to die by hanging for killing mum over ‘invisibility’ charm

A High Court sitting in Jos, on Thursday, sentenced a 20-yearold man to death by hanging for killing his mother. The judge, Justice Nafisa Musa, handed down the sentence after she found the defendant, Agugu Adau, guilty of murdering his mother.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the convict committed the crime on Dec. 30, 2016 when he killed his mother for refusing to give him an “invisibility” charm he claimed was his inheritance from his late herbalist father.

Agugu committed the crime at his Kisaghyip village farm in Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau. Agugu, after killing his mother, was said to have removed the sum of N20,000 from her bloodsoaked clothes and used it to buy a mobile phone, a shirt and a pair of slippers.

The accused, who spoke with NAN, said he killed her because she refused to give him a charm that was his inheritance from his father.

“When I was 14 years old, my late father, who was a native doctor, showed me a charm that enabled him to disappear and reappear at will. He promised to hand over the charm to me when I turn 18. On his dying bed four years ago, he gave my mother the charm and asked her to give it to me when I turn 18. But I am now 18 but she has refused to give it to me.

“On that fateful day at the farm, I asked her about it, but she threatened to throw the charm into the river if I disturbed her too much. Her response infuriated me and I suddenly felt that she was of no value to me as a mother. I immediately slaughtered her with the knife I was using to harvest potatoes. After slaughtering her, I dumped her body in the bush,” he said.

Mr David Adau, senior brother to the suspect, has however dismissed the suspect’s claim that he killed their mother because of a charm.

“Prior to the incident, the family had faced several problems with Agugu. He was fond of stealing and causing trouble. I believe he killed our mother because of the N20,000 I gave her a day before the incident. I work at the mines in Barkin-Ladi, and usually give my earnings to our mother to keep for me.

“I handed over the money to my mother in his presence. In fact when I gave her the money she expressed fear that Agugu could attack her to get the money. He has proved her right,” David said.

Adau said on his return from work a day after the incident, he asked after their mother but Agugu said he did not know of her whereabouts.