Facts
The Appellant impregnated PW1 who gave birth to a child named Abdullahi (deceased), out of wedlock. The Appellant agreed to pay N5000 (Five thousand naira) monthly for the maintenance of the child but defaulted to pay for two months. On 13th June 2017, PW1 called the Appellant to inform him that their son had fallen sick and requested him to come and see her. When the Appellant met with PW1, an argument ensued between the Appellant and the brother of PW1 (PW2), who expressed his dissatisfaction with the Appellant’s lack of care for his child. Thereafter, PW2 ordered PW1 to handover the child to the Appellant to take over full custody and care of his child, which she did. The Appellant collected the child and left.
However, PW1 who was concerned with the decision to handover the child to the Appellant, informed her mother in the house. The mother (PW3), in company of a Neighbour (PW4), chased after the Appellant all the way to his house to regain custody of the child. On getting to the Appellant’s house, he was not around but after an hour, the women saw the Appellant walking down with the child wrapped to his chest. Immediately he arrived, he walked straight to his room and locked himself in the room. The Appellant’s aunt, who was at home when PW3 and PW4 arrived, expressed her ignorance about the Appellant fathering a child. After hours of pleading, the Appellant opened the room, and the women rushed inside to meet the lifeless body of the child with the mouth opened and his eyes closed.
