The Bauchi State Police Command has arrested four individuals in connection with two separate weekend killings, including a deadly jungle justice assault triggered by witchcraft allegations. The Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Nafiu Habib, confirmed the incidents in an official statement released on Wednesday. The first incident occurred in the Dandango area on July 20 at approximately 11:30 pm. A mob violently attacked 51-year-old Monday Chiroma and another resident, Yelwa Bango, after accusing them of using witchcraft to bewitch a 20-year-old local woman, Jamila Anthony. Both victims were rushed to the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH) in Bauchi. Chiroma later succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at a hospital facility in Gudun Hausawa, while Bango survived and was discharged after receiving medical care. Police operatives have arrested three key suspects linked to the lynching: Danjuma Anthony, 25. Ayuba Anthony (alias Babaru), 22. Christopher Adamu, 34. During police interrogation, the three suspects confessed to the crime. Law enforcement officials are currently tracking additional accomplices who remain at large. In an unrelated development on July 25, a 25-year-old man identified as Zahradeen Dan’Azumi Tanko was stabbed to death in the Unguwan Kur neighborhood of Bauchi. The police arrested 21-year-old Al-Amin Hamisu Gidado for allegedly stabbing Tanko in the back. A second suspect, Yahaya Mu’azu, fled the scene and remains at large. Tanko was rushed to ATBUTH, where medical personnel confirmed him dead on arrival. Both homicide cases have been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for comprehensive investigation and subsequent prosecution. The Bauchi State Commissioner of Police, Sani-Omolori Aliyu, strongly condemned the resort to self-help and jungle justice. He urged residents to remain law-abiding and report all suspicious activities or grievances directly to the nearest police formation rather than taking the law into their own hands.
