Convicted killer of seven family members blames witch doctor, begs for forgiveness

KANO, Nigeria — Umar Auwal, also known as Breaker, has formally sought forgiveness from the Governor of Kano State, Abba Kabir Yusuf, the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, and the residents of Kano following his conviction for the murders of Fatima Abubakar and her six children in Dorayi Chiranci, Kumbotso Local Government Area.

Auwal made his appeal during his final address to the court just before being sentenced to death for the killings, which occurred in January 2026. “I sincerely seek forgiveness from everyone, particularly my parents, Fatima’s parents, and the entire people of Kano,” he stated.

In his remarks, Auwal claimed that he was influenced to commit the crimes by a witch doctor and called for the arrest of this individual to prevent similar incidents in the future. “I committed all those acts because a witch doctor made me do them. If we want to prevent something like this from happening again, the witch doctor should be arrested,” he said.