A High Court sitting in the Abuja has sentenced a 22-year-old cleaner and mother of two, Maryam Adewumi, to 20 years in prison for the death of her boyfriend following a violent altercation.

The court heard that the incident occurred on July 5, 2024, in Kurudu, Abuja, when Adewumi and the deceased, identified as Shallom Oliseh, engaged in a physical fight that escalated fatally.

According to court proceedings, Adewumi stabbed Oliseh in the chest with a knife during the confrontation, an action the prosecution said resulted in severe injuries that led to his death.

The prosecution maintained that the act amounted to culpable homicide, arguing that the defendant knew the likely consequences of her action.

Adewumi, however, told the court she acted in self-defence and did not intend to kill the deceased.

Delivering judgment, Justice Njideka Nwosu-Iheme found her guilty of culpable homicide not punishable with death and sentenced her to 20 years imprisonment, with the term calculated from the date of her arrest.

The defence had pleaded for leniency, citing her status as a mother of two and lack of prior criminal record, but the court held that the offence warranted a custodial sentence.

The ruling brings closure to a case that has drawn attention to domestic violence-related fatalities and self-defence claims within intimate relationships.