THE story sounds extremely bizarre and has left many stunned. Azumi Abubakar, a 30-year-old woman resident in the Gengle village of Mayo Belwa Local Government Area of Adamawa State, was in her house when she noticed some strange noises. Then she sighted a well-known face stealing her maize and called out his name out of sheer shock. She might have expected the thief to run away, but he did nothing of the sort. His cover having been blown, the thief, 20-year-old Abubakar Abdu, did the unthinkable. He allegedly plunged a knife into her body, murdering her in cold blood.
According to a statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer, Suleiman Nguroje, “On November 10, 2024, the Adamawa State Police command, in its fight against violent crime, apprehended 20-year-old Abubakar Abdu, a resident of Gengle village of Mayo Belwa Local Government Area, for stabbing to death one Azumi Abubakar, 30 years old. The suspect had, on 7/11/2024, at about 0300hrs, broken into the house of the victim and stolen some quantity of maize. During his attempt to escape, the victim sighted, identified and called the suspect by his name. Upon realising that he had been noticed, he immediately attacked the victim by stabbing her with a knife and as a result, she died. The suspect will be charged to court as soon as the investigation is completed.”
It is, indeed, a tragedy that a law-abiding citizen shocked at the identity of the man trying to rob her of her things was killed in such a brutal fashion. Apparently, the suspect is a terrible individual who does not have the slightest regard for the values of good neighbourliness or, for that matter, human life. In all probability, the victim is just a poor, struggling citizen trying her level best to keep body and soul together, but the suspect did not give a hoot. Probably in an instant, he hatched a plan to terminate her life and executed the plan in dastardly fashion. His objective, namely to protect his identity, was for him enough reason to commit any kind of crime, including the brutal and illegal termination of the life of another person. Just like the 25-year-old who allegedly stabbed his 68-year-old father to death in the Isolo area of Lagos State recently, the suspect in this case judged his neighbour to be worthy of death simply for trying to protect her property. Going by media reports, the victim in this case did not even try to raise the alarm or launch an attack on the suspect, which would have been perfectly within her rights to do, but only called his name in sheer befuddlement, or even fright. Apparently, she did not expect her neighbour to be so callous as to rob her of her property, and her action in mentioning his name cost her her life, throwing her family and friends into deep agony.
As we have been keen to point out time and again, human life is being increasingly trifled with in this clime. People, out of concern for their personal benefit, however perverse, are almost always ready to commit the most egregious acts of criminality. We find it utterly disturbing, and deeply abhorrent, that a human life was lost over some undefined quantity of maize! The story is unnerving, distressing and utterly unfortunate. The suspect in this case, having been identified by the victim, could simply have bolted from the scene, even if he was going to be caught and disgraced eventually. That would not have earned him the charge of murder, but the same ridiculous logic that led him to rob his neighbour also led him to terminate her life in a bid to keep a secret that simply refused to be kept. What a tragedy!
We believe that most of the sad stories that litter the media space have their roots in dysfunctional family settings. It is clear from the actions of the suspect in this case that he was not properly brought up, and that he has a warped view of the world where his comfort supersedes any other consideration. It may be old-fashioned to talk about bringing up children in a disciplined and godly manner, but we have found no alternative to it. It is still the truth in 2024 that an untrained child whose moral fibre has not been built is going to end up selling whatever building (s) his parents have put up. Parents bringing children into this world without any thought about giving them proper upbringing are merely setting themselves up for a life of agony in their old age. In any case, how can parents who themselves lack the proverbial “home training” (proper upbringing) instill it in their children?
We urge the police to carry out a thorough investigation into this case and ensure that justice is done. The law is clear on murder, whatever the motivation. No Nigerian citizen has the right to constitute himself or herself into a court of law and pronounce the death sentence on another citizen, let alone proceed to execute such a sentence. We expect murderers to be treated in accordance with the laws of the land if only to send a strong signal to would-be murderers. Crime festers in the society in the absence of punishment for crime. The society cannot afford to treat criminals with kid gloves.
We are extremely saddened by the death of citizen Azumi Abubakar. May her soul rest in sweet repose.
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