Man arrested for setting grandmother ablaze in Jigawa

The Jigawa State Police Command has arrested a 26-year-old man, Nura Mas’ud, for the horrific act of setting his 60-year-old grandmother, Zuwaira Muhammad, on fire.

The incident took place in Sule Tankarkar Local Government Area.

The police spokesperson, DSP Lawan Shiisu Adam, confirmed in a statement that Mas’ud carried out the attack after dousing his grandmother with petrol. Despite efforts to save her, she succumbed to her injuries while receiving treatment at the hospital.

Mas’ud, who reportedly suffers from a mental illness and has been under psychiatric care, admitted to the crime. He claimed that his grandmother had upset him by expressing concern over his physical appearance and health, leading him to take the tragic action.

Authorities are continuing their investigation into the matter, while the suspect remains in custody.

“On 08/10/2024 at about 1600hrs, the Command was notified of a sad and regrettable incident that occurred in Mu’azu village, Dan Gwanki ward, Sule Tankarkar LGA,” the statement read.

“That one Nura Mas’ud ‘m’ age 26yrs of Mu’azu village, Sule tankarkar LGA, went to his family house with a petrol canister and suddenly poured it on his grandmother, Zuwaira Muhammad ‘f’, age 60yrs of the same address, and set her ablaze.

“The elderly woman eventually passed away while being admitted as a result of the conflagration. The medical doctor on call certified her death and the corpse was released to relatives for burial according to Islamic rites.

“A team of police detectives from Sule tankarkar division quickly arrested the suspect and detained him in the cell. He was later ferried to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for a discreet investigation.

“During the interrogation, the suspect admitted to committing the alleged offence against him.

“A preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect suffers from mental illness and has been receiving treatment at Kazaure Psychiatric Hospital.

“The Suspects further stated that, the late grandmother upset him by expressing concern about his physical appearance and health, which he did not want. He warned her on several occasions but she refused. Thus, he purchased gasoline, poured and ignited her.

“The Jigawa State Commissioner of Police, CP AT Abdullahi psc, directed the State Criminal Investigation Department, Dutse, to thoroughly investigate the case and vigorously prosecute the perpetrator in order to deter others from repeating it.”