Nigeria court remands Chinese man over girlfriend's killing

A Magistrates’ Court in the northern Nigerian city of Kano has remanded in custody a Chinese businessman who is accused of killing his Nigerian girlfriend.

The suspect, Geng Quanrong, allegedly forced himself into the young woman’s family house, attacked her, and slit her throat with a knife last weekend.

The killing sparked public outrage across Nigeria - with social media users and the victim’s family calling for justice.

Mr Geng, 47, was arraigned on Wednesday and government prosecutors accused him of murder.

But they asked the court to grant them time to prepare proper charges. The suspect has not yet entered a plea.

A spokesperson for the judiciary in Kano state told the BBC the case had been adjourned to 13 October.

The victim, Ummukulthum Sani Buhari, 22, was taken to a local hospital after the stabbing. Doctors confirmed she was dead on arrival.

The suspect was arrested as he attempted to flee the scene – after residents raised the alarm. Since then he has been in police custody.

It is unclear what exactly triggered the incident on Friday night, but residents and family sources say the estranged lovers had started having problems when the deceased indicated she was no longer interested in marrying the Chinese man.