Shock and grief enveloped Dorayi Chiranchi in Kano on Saturday after the Kano State Police Command revealed that a nephew of a slain housewife masterminded the brutal killing of her aunt and her six children in what has been described as a tragedy which residents say has left the community emotionally scarred.
The victims — Fatima Abubakar and her six children, Maimuna Haruna, Aisha Haruna, Bashir Haruna, Abubakar Haruna, Faruk Haruna and Abdulsalam Haruna — were killed inside their residence in an attack that has triggered widespread outrage across the state.
Two of the children, including a newborn, were later discovered inside a nearby well, according to police sources.
The Kano State Police Command, in a statement on Sunday, announced the arrest of three principal suspects, identifying the alleged mastermind as Umar Auwalu, 23, a resident of Sabuwar Gandu Quarters and a nephew of the deceased woman.
The Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, said the arrests followed intelligence-led operations conducted between the night of January 17 and the early hours of January 18, under the supervision of the Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Adamu Bakori.
“The principal suspect confessed to masterminding the attack and admitted that the same syndicate has been involved in a series of violent attacks and killings in parts of Kano metropolis,” Kiyawa said.
Items recovered from the suspects included clothes with suspected blood stains, mobile phones belonging to the deceased, a cutlass, a club, and money allegedly stolen from the scene.
Speaking to Arewa PUNCH, the Chairman of Kumbotso Local Government Area, Comrade Ghali Basaf, said preliminary findings showed that the attackers were familiar with the household.
“One of those involved is not a stranger. The person visited the house when the incident occurred,” Basaf said.
He disclosed that the attack happened around 11 am. when the woman noticed the presence of the attackers and attempted to reach her relatives by phone.
“A councillor informed me that the attackers arrived at about 11 am. When the woman noticed them, she tried to call her relatives, but before they could arrive, the incident had already happened,” he added.
Basaf further revealed that the woman was attacked with a sewing machine, while some of the children who had returned from school during the break witnessed when the attack occurred.
“Four of the children had gone to school and returned during the break. One of the victims was also a relative visiting the family. This is the first time such an incident has happened in this community,” he said.
The Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, described the killings as barbaric and unacceptable, ordering an immediate manhunt for those responsible.
“The killing of a mother and her innocent children is barbaric, senseless, and a grave assault on our shared humanity,” the governor said in a statement issued by his spokesperson, Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa.
He directed the police and the Kano State Neighbourhood Corps to intensify surveillance across vulnerable areas, assuring residents that the perpetrators would be brought to justice.
The Speaker of the Kano State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Jibril Ismail Falgore also condemned the killings, commending the police for the arrests and urging thorough investigations.
Similarly, the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau I. Jibrin described the arrests as “soothing news” and called for a speedy trial.
“I have been traumatised and overwhelmed by the gruesome murder of these innocent children and their mother. This is barbaric and beyond comprehension,” Barau said.
Residents of Dorayi Chiranchi told Arewa PUNCH that the revelation that a close relative was allegedly involved has deepened their pains and fears within the community.
As investigations continue, the police have assured that all those connected to the crime will be prosecuted, while Kano residents wait for justice for a family whose lives were wiped out in a single, horrifying afternoon.
