Tragedy strikes as woman murders husband with pestle in Niger

A 27-year-old woman, Fatima Dzuma, has been arrested for the alleged murder of her 25-year-old husband, Baba Aliyu, in Lafiyagi Dzwafu village, located in the Katcha Local Government Area of Niger State.  

Reports indicate that Dzuma, who married Baba three years ago as his second wife, had not borne any children, while Baba’s first wife recently gave birth and preparations were underway for the naming ceremony.

The couple was known to have frequent disputes, and tensions escalated the night before the incident when Baba reportedly assaulted Dzuma during an argument.

According to sources, after the altercation, Baba left the house. Dzuma later confessed to killing him, recounting the events leading up to the crime.

The incident highlights ongoing concerns about domestic violence and its tragic consequences. Authorities have taken Dzuma into custody as investigations continue.

“When he came back, he went to bed. I used a rope to tie his neck, and he could not struggle. I hit him with a pestle three times, twice on his head and once on his hand. I took advantage of his sleeping because his sleep is always deep.

“After I killed him, I put him inside a mat, threw him over the fence and dragged him to the bush in the backyard before coming back to wash the blood and excreta that came out of his body when I killed him”, she said.

When asked why she killed him, she said they had a misunderstanding where she told him that she did not love him anymore, and he beat her up.

When the family of Baba was looking for him, she claimed she had not seen him but confessed to the crime three days after she killed him.

According to her, only she carried out the act without the help of anybody.

The Niger State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abiodun Wasiu, said that the body of Baba Aliyu was found in a bush close to the house, adding that the suspect is currently in police custody.

“She confessed that she used a pestle to hit her husband when he was asleep and she later tied the deceased with clothes and rope and rolled the corpse to a nearby bush with a mat.

“The corpse was taken to general hospital Bida for post-mortem while the suspect was taken to custody. She will soon be transferred to SCID Minna for further investigation and prosecution”, Abiodun said.