Nafiu Isyaku Rabiu

Nafiu Isyaku Rabiu is a prominent businessman from Kano who became infamous for killing his wife. He is the eldest son of the late Alhaji Isyaku Rabiu, a well respected Sheikh and businessman. His younger brother Abdulsamad Rabiu is the second richest individual in Nigeria and fourth wealthiest in Africa. Rabiu underwent a legal process initiated by the Kano state government, which attracted significant attention within the state. The legal proceedings took place in a courtroom overseen by Kano's last British judge, who ultimately declared him not guilty. However, the verdict led to substantial public outcry and allegations of corruption, prompting a subsequent trial overseen by a Nigerian judge. In this new trial, Rabiu was found guilty of culpable homicide not punishable with death and subsequently incarcerated by the Court of Appeal on 5 May 1980. This particular murder case, titled Nafiu Rabiu v. Kano state, left a mark on both the legal history of Nigeria and the consciousness of the state's populace. The courtroom where the trial unfolded is now colloquially referred to as "Kotun Nafiu" or "Nafiu's Court." Nafiu Rabiu, a native of the city of Kano, was raised and nurtured there. He was the eldest son of Sheikh Isyaku Rabiu's forty-two children. Rabiu was known for his opulent lifestyle within the city during the 1970s. A glimpse into Rabiu's lavishness was captured in a 1984 documentary produced jointly by BBC and NTA, which delved into corruption in Nigeria. Titled Nigeria: A Squandering of Riches and presented by Onyeka Onwenu, the documentary featured scenes of Rabiu cruising around Kano in one of his two Rolls Royce cars with Onwenu remarking that he owned six other vehicles. He was also shown entering one of his two luxury jets "which cost a million pounds a year simply to maintain." His marriage was to Fatima, a daughter of Tijjani Aliyu Dagazau, another affluent businessman who lived in Kano. On 9 May 1979, Rabiu and Fatima hosted three of their friends in the garden of their Dawaki Road residence in Kano.