The Bauchi State Police Command has arrested four suspects for allegedly torturing a suspected watermelon thief to death in the state.
This development was conveyed in a statement signed and issued to journalists on Friday by the state Police Public Relations Officer, Ahmed Wakil.
The incident, according to the police spokesperson, happened on March 29 in Dallaji village, Tudin Wada ward, in the Warji Local Government Area of Bauchi State.
It was learnt that the suspect caught the deceased, Ibrahim Hashimu, for allegedly stealing seven watermelons valued at N2,000 from a farm.
The Superintendent of Police disclosed that the suspects tied the hands of the deceased with rope and beat him with sticks.
Wakil gave the identities of the suspects as Mohammad Daluta (24); Ibrahim Mahmud (22); Bashir Mahmud (18); and Abdullahi Mahmud (22).
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He said, “On March 29, 2023, around 10am, one Ado Sanya (40), of Dallaji village, Tudun Wada ward, Warji LGA, reported at Warji Divisional Police Headquarters that on the same date, around 1.20am, one Ibrahim Hashimu criminally trespassed into the farmland of one Mohammed Garba, of the same address and stole some watermelons.
“On receiving the report, a team of detectives was quickly drafted to the scene and evacuated the victim to Warji General Hospital for medical attention, from where they were referred to the Cottage Hospital, Gwaram LGA, Jigawa State, where he was certified dead by a medical doctor.
“An investigation commenced in earnest and preliminary investigation revealed that the victim, Ibrahim Hashimu, trespassed into a summer farm and stole seven pieces of watermelon fruit, valued at N2,000.
“In the process of taking away the stolen items, the owner of the farm caught him on the spot. He then conspired with others and beat him with sticks. As a result, he sustained an internal injury which led to his death.
“Consequently, all the above four suspects were successfully arrested and an investigation is still ongoing to explore all the intricacies surrounding the case.”
Reacting to the incidents, the state Commissioner of Police, Aminu Alhassan, blamed the suspects for “taking laws into their hands.”
He directed that the case be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Bauchi, for discreet investigation.