A 24-year-old man identified as Najeeb Umar Shehu was reportedly arrested for beating his stepmother to death with a pestle in Katsina State.
The suspect who is known in the neighbourhood for taking all kinds of drugs and substances also broke his father, arm and leg while trying to stop him.
According to Vanguard, the 300 Level student of the Federal University Dutsinma, Katsina had always expressed contempt against his Katsina State Government retired civil servant stepmother, threatening to kill her someday.
Shehu’s mother, Hajiya Hasiya Galadima, a Fulani woman from Daura and his father, Shehu Umar Balele, a Zonal Inspector of Education with the state’s Ministry of Education have for long gone their separate ways.
The suspect was said to have accused his stepmother of being responsible for their separation.
The eldest son, Mustapha Shehu Umar who relayed the incident to newshounds, said, “We have been having several issues with him (Najeeb). We took him to the police several times. Whenever we wanted to take action on him, our Dad would refuse because he is the last born and he wanted him to study.
“He has told our stepmother several times that he doesn’t like her, vowing that he was going to kill her one day.
“We took the report to the Police but no serious action was taken against him. Unfortunately, he smokes and takes all kinds of drugs.
“So on Thursday, when I was not around, My sister came around from her husband’s house. She use to come every Thursday, to keep our stepmother company.
“Immediately my sister entered the house, Najeeb closed the entrance gate.
“Then he went to our Dad’s sitting room and tricked him to his bedroom with the intention to lock him up in the room to avoid him from obstructing his plans but that failed.
“He proceeded to the kitchen and took a pestle and returned to the sitting room where our stepmother was seated with two of her maids and her daughter and closed the door leading to the sitting room.
“Then he said to her: ‘Remember that I promised to kill you one day.’ Without wasting time, he hit her with the pestle twice on the head and she fell to the ground and fainted.
“My sister quickly held him, and they started struggling. God so kind, she was able to push him down, unlock the sitting room. door and ran out. He got up immediately and chased her.
“Our Dad heard the noise, came out and saw him holding the pestle. While trying to protect his daughter, Najeeb knocked him down with the pestle and he also fainted, with his leg broken.
“God so kind, our sister was able to open the compound’s gate and ran out to our neighbour’s house.
“Seeing that she ran away, Najeeb went back inside the sitting room, realizing that our stepmother was still alive, he used the pestle to pound her until he was sure that she is lifeless, disfiguring her face in the process.
“As if that was not enough, he went to my apartment inside the compound. When he saw my wife, he started chasing her but God so kind she was able to escape to our neighbour’s house with some other women and they locked themselves inside one of the rooms.
“He followed them to the compound but was unable to unlock the door. Then he came to the frontage of the house, threatening that anyone that is bold enough should come out and challenge him.
“Neighbours who saw him now alerted the police and when they came, they combed the area and finally arrested him around the government house area and took him to the GRA Police Station.”
“Our father is currently being treated at the Orthopaedic Unit of the Katsina Teaching Hospital. While our stepmother has been buried according to Islamic rites,” The eldest child of the family said.
