AISHA ABUBAKAR
A mother and her son have been arraigned before a Magistrate Court in Nomansland, Kano, over allegations of conspiracy and attempted murder in connection with an alleged plot against the family patriarch.
The defendants, Nura Usman and his mother, Izzatu Aminu, appeared before Magistrate Sakina Amina Yusuf on charges relating to an alleged plot against Alhaji Usman Shanono of Dantsinke Quarters, Kano.
The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction.
According to the charge sheet read in court, the two defendants were alleged to have conspired to engage the services of a third party to carry out the act. Prosecutors told the court that the sum of ₦500,000 was allegedly given to the said individual to carry out the assignment.
However, the court heard that the plan did not go as intended. The individual approached by the defendants allegedly informed Alhaji Shanono about the alleged plot instead of carrying it out.
Following the disclosure, a plan was reportedly put in place with the involvement of security operatives. As part of that arrangement, Shanono’s death was staged to deceive those behind the alleged plot. The individual reportedly collected Shanono’s wristwatch and other personal items and presented them as evidence that the act had been carried out.
Based on that information, the defendants were said to have announced Shanono’s death. The announcement led relatives, friends and sympathisers to gather for mourning at the family home in Dantsinke Quarters.
The situation took a dramatic turn when Alhaji Shanono later appeared in public alongside security personnel, revealing that he was alive and that the earlier report of his death had been staged as part of an operation to uncover the alleged plot.
During the court sitting, the charges of conspiracy and attempted murder were read to the defendants. They were not asked to take a plea as the court said it lacked jurisdiction to hear the substantive matter.
Magistrate Sakina Amina Yusuf adjourned the case to September 7, 2026, for further mention and for legal advice from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions.
The court ordered that the defendants be remanded in custody pending the next hearing date. The Police said investigations are ongoing to establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.