Bauchi, Nigeria – The Bauchi State Police Command has announced the arrest of one Esther Gambo, 19, in connection with the alleged theft of a newborn child and the brutal murder of two seven-year-old girls. The horrific incident has reportedly sparked violent public unrest, leading to the burning of churches and an attempt to set fire to a police station.
According to a press release issued on Thursday by the command’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ahmed Wakil, Esther Gambo, who hails from Lemoro Village in Toro Local Government Area, Bauchi State, reportedly enticed two young girls, Khadija Sama’ila and A’isha Dahiru, both aged seven, from Unguwan Sarkin Yaki Village.
PPRO Wakil explained that upon receipt of the distress report, a team of police officers, collaborating with local vigilante groups, swiftly responded to the scene. Their efforts led to the successful recovery of the deceased bodies of the two young girls, the apprehension of Esther Gambo, and the rescue of a kidnapped newborn victim.
Preliminary investigations revealed a chilling motive behind the alleged crime. According to Wakil, the accused, Esther Gambo, lured the two girls with the intention of obtaining a newborn female child belonging to one Nafisa Dahiru. Following her acquisition of the baby, Gambo allegedly led Khadija and A’isha to a nearby maize farm, where she unlawfully ended their lives with a machete before fleeing the scene.
The PPRO noted that in the aftermath of the tragic incident, significant public unrest ensued, predominantly among the local Muslim youth. This widespread discontent escalated into violent protests, resulting in the arson of churches and attempts to set fire to the Tulu Divisional Police Headquarters.
Investigations into the incident are ongoing as authorities work to piece together the full circumstances surrounding the alleged crimes and the subsequent civil unrest.
