Kaduna DPO accused of handing woman to mob that killed her over false kidnapping claim
By Ishaya Ibrahim
A mother of four was beaten to death and set ablaze by a mob Sunday in Maraban Jos, Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State, after being falsely accused of attempting to abduct children. Her family and witnesses allege that a Divisional Police Officer handed her over to the crowd despite police initially taking her into custody for her safety.
Ummulkhairi Muhammad, 34, was killed June 21 after rumors spread that she was stealing children.
Her sister, Zainab Musa, said Ummulkhairi had lost her way while heading to an Islamic school graduation in a neighboring community. “She tried to ask some children for directions, but before she could finish speaking, they screamed ‘kidnapper! Kidnapper!’” the sister said, per NTA report.
Witnesses said a mob attacked Ummulkhairi as she tried to prove her innocence. The local chief intervened, and relatives arrived as police took her to the station.
But the crowd at the station grew to hundreds, according to witnesses and police. One witness claimed the Divisional Police Officer pulled Ummulkhairi out of the station and handed her to the mob despite protests from relatives. The mob then attacked her with machetes and set her body ablaze.
The deceased husband, Aliyu Muhammad, was quoted by NTA saying when he arrived at the scene, he met the lifeless body of his wife.
The Kaduna State Police Command condemned the killing. In a statement Monday, Police spokesperson DSP Mansir Hassan said officers had moved Abubakar to the station for her safety and investigation.
However, “hundreds of people stormed and surrounded the police station, overpowered officers on duty, forcibly removed the woman from custody, killed her, and burned her body,” Hassan said.
The command described the incident as “barbaric, criminal, and a direct attack on the rule of law,” adding that “no person or group has the right to take the law into their own hands.”
Hassan said several suspects have been arrested and a full investigation is underway. “All the culprits will face the full weight of the law,” he said.
