From: Agaju Madugba, Katsina
The police in Katsina State have arrested a herbalist, one Sule Abubakar, for allegedly strangulating a day-old baby and throwing it into a pit toilet.
Also in police custody is the mother of the late baby, Mrs. Fatima Garba, of Gyaza village in Kafur Local Government Area of the state.
According to the Katsina Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Gambo Isa, Fatima had gone to the herbalist to seek refuge when she had a misunderstanding with her husband which led to her expulsion from the matrimonial home.
The police spokesman also noted that by the time the woman resolved the issue with her husband and returned to her matrimonial house, she was already pregnant, allegedly for the herbalist.
After delivery, Fatima was said to have taken the baby to the herbalist who strangled it and threw it in the toilet.
“Our men got the information and recovered the lifeless body of the baby from the toilet,” Isa said.
In a related development, the PPRO also said the police rescued alive a new born baby girl abandoned by her 16 years old mother, one Hassan Tanimu from Jabiri, in Funtua local government area.
Isa said that police detectives, acting on a tip-off, traced the baby to Hassan who claimed that somebody drugged and raped her and in the process she got pregnant.
The police said that investigation was still ongoing into the matter.