A disagreement over a divorced woman has turned fatal in Damaturu, the Yobe state capital, after a violent confrontation between two groups of youths left one person dead and four others injured.
The Yobe state police command confirmed the incident, saying the clash, which occurred in the early hours of June 29 at Kalam Hamlet, escalated from a personal disagreement into a deadly attack involving members of the same family.
In a statement issued to journalists, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Dungus Abdulkarim, said officers attached to ‘A’ Division, Damaturu, responded to a distress call at about 3:00 a.m. after reports of a violent fight in the community.
According to the police, preliminary investigations revealed that the altercation began when Abubakar Hassan, 30, allegedly engaged in a dispute with 23-year-old Buba Usman over a divorced woman. As the disagreement intensified, Abubakar reportedly summoned his three brothers—Ibrahim Hassan, 27, Isa Hassan, 20, and Aliyu Hassan, 30—to the scene.
Police said the confrontation soon degenerated into violence when Buba Usman allegedly attacked Ibrahim Hassan with an axe, inflicting a deep cut to his neck. Ibrahim was said to have died instantly from the injuries sustained during the attack.
The suspect allegedly continued the assault, attacking Abubakar, Isa and Aliyu with the same axe and leaving them with varying degrees of injuries before other residents intervened.
The violence, however, did not end there. According to investigators, relatives of the deceased allegedly launched a retaliatory attack on Buba Usman, shooting him with arrows and inflicting serious injuries to his abdomen.
Following the distress call, police operatives swiftly deployed to the scene, restored order and evacuated all injured persons to the Teaching Hospital, Damaturu, where they are receiving medical attention.
The body of Ibrahim Hassan was deposited at the hospital’s morgue and was subsequently released to his family for burial after necessary procedures were completed.
“Upon receipt of the report, police operatives visited the scene, evacuated the injured persons to the Teaching Hospital, Damaturu, for treatment, while the corpse of the deceased was deposited at the hospital morgue and later released to the family,” Abdulkarim stated.
The police spokesperson disclosed that the principal suspect is currently receiving treatment under police guard at the hospital due to injuries sustained during the incident.
He added that the suspect has reportedly confessed to the alleged offence during preliminary investigations.
Abdulkarim said detectives have commenced a full-scale investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding the fatal clash and identify any other persons who may have been involved.
He assured members of the public that the command remains committed to ensuring justice is served, stressing that appropriate legal action would be taken against anyone found culpable at the conclusion of investigations.
The incident has once again highlighted the devastating consequences of personal disputes that escalate into violence, raising concerns over the increasing resort to self-help and retaliation in resolving conflicts.
It also underscores the need for peaceful conflict resolution, community dialogue and timely intervention by traditional leaders, families and security agencies to prevent avoidable loss of life.