By Sabiu Abdullahi
A Kaduna-based mechanic, Aliyu Muhammed, has accused police officers of handing his wife, Ummulkhairi Muhammed, over to an angry mob that allegedly lynched and burnt her to death after accusations of child trafficking.
Muhammed, 42, said the incident happened in Mararaban Jos area of Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State after his wife was accused by some women of attempting to traffic children.
Speaking about the incident, he explained that his wife left home on the day of the attack for an Islamiya school in a neighbouring community while he travelled to Kaduna town for work.
According to him, he later received a call from his wife’s phone around 11:21 a.m., but a man answered and informed him that she had been accused of attempted child trafficking.
“He told me that some women had accused her of attempting to traffic children but added that it was only an allegation that had not been confirmed,” Muhammed said.
He said the caller asked him to contact someone who could quickly reach the location where his wife was being held. Muhammed said he immediately contacted a friend, Suleiman, who later informed him that a large crowd had gathered at the scene.
The mechanic said his friend contacted the Divisional Police Officer and requested security officers to move his wife safely to a police station.
Muhammed explained that he informed family members and rushed back to Mararaban Jos with his elder brother after receiving the distress call.
He said while approaching the area, he noticed smoke rising from a distance before receiving another call from his second wife.
“Shortly afterwards, my second wife, who was crying, called me and told me they had killed her,” he said.
According to him, residents stopped him from rushing to the scene because they feared the mob might attack him as well if they discovered he was the victim’s husband.
He said he later saw his wife’s burnt body on the road after the Commissioner of Police arrived at the scene.
Muhammed alleged that his wife had earlier been rescued and taken to a police station before officers allegedly released her to the mob.
“My elder sister was with my wife at the police station after she was rescued. While they were inside the station, the Divisional Police Officer came in and asked where the suspect was. My sister replied that my wife was not a criminal,” he said.
He further alleged that the DPO dragged his wife out of the station despite pleas from family members.
“The DPO held my wife’s hand and started dragging her towards the station gate. My sister asked where he was taking her and pleaded with him not to take her outside because the mob would kill her,” he stated.
“She tried to pull my wife back into the station, but another police officer allegedly struck her hand, allowing the DPO to drag her outside. Once my wife was pushed outside by the DPO, the mob descended on her, beat her, placed her motorcycle on top of her, and set both her and the motorcycle ablaze.”
The grieving husband said the tragedy has left his family devastated, especially their four children who lost their mother.
“Since that incident, I have not been myself. I have been sick. I hardly sleep because I keep thinking about what happened and crying over the tragedy that has befallen my family,” he said.
He added that he was unable to speak with the Commissioner of Police at the scene because of the emotional trauma.
“Neither the Commissioner of Police nor the DPO spoke to me. The police only provided two vehicles to convey my wife’s body for burial,” he added.
Muhammed also claimed that some suspects had been arrested in connection with the incident, although he had not received official confirmation from the authorities.
“I heard that about 22 people are in custody, but I have not been officially informed or shown those who were arrested,” he said.
The mechanic demanded a full investigation into the role played by the DPO and questioned why his wife was allegedly released to the mob after she had already been rescued.
“I want the DPO to be thoroughly investigated. Even if my wife had been guilty of the allegation against her, does the law permit a police officer to drag her outside and allow a mob to kill her?” he asked.
He also urged the public to avoid jungle justice and allow security agencies and courts to handle criminal allegations through due process.
“The public should learn that when someone is accused of an offence, people have no right to take the law into their own hands,” he said.
Muhammed said he wants his late wife to be remembered for her care for her children and peaceful relationship with members of the community.
“I also want the Mararaban Jos Bridge to be renamed in her honour. That would preserve her memory and serve as a reminder to future generations of what happened to her when she was only 35 years old,” he added.
