Chief Shoots Housemaid For Ignoring His Crying Baby In Kano

A chief in Kano State, Alhaji Jamil Bala has shot his housemaid for not attending to his wailing three-month-old baby on time. The 35-year-old housemaid, Mrs. Umu-l-kulsum Inuwa was shot on the neck and breast by her boss because she couldn’t pacify the wailing child quickly.  One of his guards in the house was also said to have been hit by the bullets.

Inuwa, who is a widow and mother of three, was rushed to a private hospital where she had been admitted. It was learnt that the incident happened in Bala’s residence in Barnawa, Kaduna State, on Saturday, June 25, 2016, when his wife went out, leaving the baby behind.

The matter was reported at the Barnawa Police Division, leading to Bala’s arrest.

A rights group, My Body, My Rights and Charity Initiative, also petitioned the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, Adamu Ibrahim, seeking justice for the victim.

However, Bala denied that he shot the woman out of anger, saying he wanted to service his rifle when the bullets accidentally discharged.

He said, “We all have different understandings. But this claim is totally false. As an educated man, why will I attempt to kill somebody just because a baby is crying? On that day, I sent one of my guards, Yahaya, to my room to bring the gun. I told him to take it downstairs and get me some quantity of engine oil to service the gun.

“I kept the gun at home for security reasons. I wanted to remove the bullets when I had an accidental discharge. The lady in question was far, washing clothes. And a guy who was supposed to fetch water for my mother was close to her. A bullet hit him as well, but his injury was minor.

“I am a kind of person that even if I am dying, I will not hide anything. I don’t fear anybody. The distance between this woman and I was up to 20 to 30 metres. When the incident happened, I was the one who called the security agents and took her to the hospital. I told the doctor to give her the best treatment.”

The outgoing Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Zubairu Abubakar, said he was not in a position to speak on the incident.

He said, “Officially, I can’t speak on the case because I have been redeployed. I will hand over to the new PPRO by 12pm today (Monday).”