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 of the country on 5 May 1980.
A glimpse into Rabiu's lavishness was captured in a 1984 documentary produced jointly by BBC and NTA, which delved into corruption in Nigeria.
Nafiu's driver and cook also confirmed that they left Fatima "in good health, joking...", before retiring for the night.
Subsequently, Nafiu came out of the house carrying a briefcase and "soiled blankets and clothes," which he handed over to the driver, instructing him to place them in the trunk of his Peugeot 504 car.
[5] He later told the driver to pick up his mother-in-law from Kano airport, who was to arrive from Niamey that morning, using his other car, a Mercedes-Benz saloon.
For the first time since he was hired, Nafiu left the cook the key of the door leading from the kitchen into other parts of the main house and asked him to give Fatima "whatever she required, whenever she woke up", before he drove away in the Peugeot with the soiled garments in the trunk.
But before doing so, the driver checked the car's trunk to remove the "soiled blankets and clothes" he had placed there earlier in the day, only to discover that they were no longer there.
This suspicion escalated to the point that the then-governor of Kano state, Abubakar Rimi, publicly vowed to ensure that Nafiu faced severe consequences, even to the extent of being sentenced to death.
[8] Medical evidence was provided by Dr. Bansi Badan Tribedi, a senior Consultant Pathologist on the Kano Health services management board who carried out the autopsy on the body of the deceased.
[5] Unsubstantiated rumors circulated, alleging that Jones was spotted leaving Kano airport with his luggage filled with cash provided by Nafiu.
[5] In the presence of Justices Udo Udoma, Ayo Irikefe, Chukwunweike Idigbe, Andrews Otutu Obaseki, Kayode Eso, Augustine Nnamani, Muhammadu Lawal Uwais, the court dismissed the appeal and upheld the conviction and sentence imposed by the Federal Court of Appeal.