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A Chief Magistrates’ Court in Kano on Wednesday ordered the remand of two teachers: Hajara Musa, 26, and Farida Ahmed, 26, for the alleged murder of the 8-year-old boy.

The defendants, who are residents of Kurna Quarters, Kano, are standing trial on a count charge of culpable homicide.

The Chief Magistrate, Mustapha Sa’ad-Datti, ordered that the defendants be remanded in the correctional centre and adjourned the matter until June 28, for mention.

Earlier, the prosecution counsel, Mr Jamilu Abubakar, had told the court that one Kamalu Suraj of Kurna Makaranta Quarters, Kano, reported the matter at Rijiyar Lemo Police Division Kano, on June 1.

He alleged that on the same date at about 10:30 a.m., the defendants being teachers of Al Salam Academy in Kano, while in the classroom used a cane and beat the 8-year-old boy on his head and other parts of the body.

“As a result, the boy became unconscious and was rushed to Kunya Hospital Kano; in the process, he died while receiving treatment,” he said.

The defendants, however, denied committing the offence.

Abubakar said that the offence contravened section 225 of the Penal Code.

THE Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps( NSCDC) Kwara command says it has discovered a seven years old boy , Usman Abubakar whose right hand has been cut off by yet to be identified person

It says the incident occurred in Parigi local government area of the state.

The command’s Public relations officer , PPRO Babalawa Afolabi said in a statement yesterday that Abubakar was one of the Alimanjira school in Parigi.

On Monday around 10:03 am convinced unknown person cut off the right hand of Abubakar.

The victim said one man came to the town and lured him and two other Alimanjira to enter a car with the assurance that he was taking them to a place to give them enough food to eat.

The suspect who is now at large with the part of the hand that he cut, then drove into a bush and when he was struggling to cut his hand the other boys escaped from the suspect.

It was noticed that the victim has lost a lot of blood, hence an officer was instructed to lead the people who brought him to Parigi general hospital for prompt medical attention , to save his life.

Three other surveillance officers  have also been directed to go to the scene of the occurrence as described by the victim.

Efforts are also ongoing to alert or share the information with other security agencies in Parigi local government area, so that the suspect can be arrested, “He Said’.

Modern day technologies should prevent stranded sailors from resorting to cannibalism, a government minister hopes.

Charlotte, Baroness Vere of Norbiton, a Conservative frontbencher in the House of Lordsand minister at the Department for Transport, gave the view after being pressed on the matter while discussing human rights at sea.

It harkens back to 1884, when captain Tom Dudley and mate Edwin Stephens were stranded at sea in a lifeboat following a shipwreck in the South Atlantic, off the coast of Africa.

Cabin boy Richard Parker was with the pair, and in poor health according to the sailors.

Following several weeks trapped on the insignificant and unprovisioned vessel, with their colleague close to death, Dudley and Stephens took the step to kill and eat him in order to fend off starvation.

After being rescued and returned to the UK, the pair justified their actions as a “custom of the sea”, and hoped to avoid conviction.

However, this was rejected and both men were subsequently convicted of murder and sentenced to death – although this was later commuted to a six month prison sentence by the Crown.

The case set the precedent in common law that necessity is not a defence when charged with murder.

Back in the present day, non-affiliated peer Lord Mackenzie of Framwellgate said: “I recall as a young student of law many years ago the case of Dudley and Stephens in the late 19th century.

“This involved a shipwreck causing a number of sailors taking to a lifeboat and, as a result of hunger and thirst, they alleged that it was necessary to kill and eat a young cabin boy in order to survive.”

He added: “Does the minister think that, if the facts were repeated today, the cabin boy’s human right to life would still trump those of the starving sailors?”

Lady Vere said: “With modern standards for lifeboats and search and rescue I would very much hope that such a situation would not arise today.

“The shipwrecked seafarers would be rescued long before any decisions would need to be taken on who to eat.

“Modern-day search and rescue services are equipped with an astonishing range of technologies which aid both in the alerting of the rescue services that there is an issue, but also in terms of the location of persons in distress or potential distress.”