From Agaju Madugba, Katsina
The police in Katsina State have arrested a herbalist, Sule Abubakar, for allegedly strangling a day-old baby and throwing it into a pit toilet.
Also in police custody is the mother of the baby, Mrs. Fatima Garba of Gyaza village, Kafur Local Government Area of the state.
According to the Katsina Police Public Relations Officer, 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 her matrimonial home. The police spokesman noted that by the time the woman resolved the issue with her husband and returned to her house, she was already pregnant, allegedly for the herbalist.
Having put to bed, 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 police spokesman also said the police rescued alive a newborn baby girl abandoned by her 16-year-old mother, Hassan Tanimu, from Jabiri, Funtua Local Government Area.
Police, acting on a tip-off, traced the baby to Hassan, who claimed that somebody drugged and raped her and got her pregnant.
The police said investigation was still ongoing into the matter.