The Jigawa State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of a 26-year-old man, Nura Mas’ud, who is accused of setting his grandmother on fire.
In a statement released on Saturday, the command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Lawan Adam, confirmed the arrest.
He stated, “On October 8, 2024, around 4:00 p.m., the command received information about a tragic incident in Mu’azu village, Dan Gwanki ward, Sule Tankarkar Local Government Area. Nura Mas’ud, 26, from Mu’azu village, reportedly went to his family home with a petrol canister, poured it on his 60-year-old grandmother, Zuwaira Muhammad, and set her ablaze.”
The elderly woman was taken to the hospital but eventually succumbed to her injuries. A medical doctor on duty confirmed her death, and her body was released to her relatives for burial in accordance with Islamic rites.
Adam reported that police detectives from the Sule Tankarkar Division swiftly apprehended and detained the suspect, who was later transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation.
“During interrogation, the suspect admitted to committing the crime,” the statement read.
Preliminary investigations revealed that Nura Mas’ud has a history of mental illness and had been receiving treatment at Kazaure Psychiatric Hospital. The suspect claimed that his grandmother’s comments about his appearance and health upset him. Despite repeated warnings to stop, she continued, leading him to purchase gasoline and carry out the act.
The state Commissioner of Police, A.T. Abdullahi, has ordered a thorough investigation by the SCID, with a view to prosecuting the suspect to serve as a deterrent to others.
