26-year-old arrested for assaulting IBBU final year student in Minna

A 26-year-old man, Mohammed Abba Yahaya, has been arrested by police operatives attached to the Chanchaga Division in Minna, under the Niger State Command of the Nigeria Police. He is now being detained over allegations of criminal force and assault against Hussena Sani, a 400-level undergraduate student of the state-owned Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University (IBBU), Lapai.

This was contained in a press statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the State Police Command, SP Wasiu Abiodun, a copy of which was obtained by Saturday Tribune in Minna during the week.

According to the statement, “On 29/6/2024 at about 1630hrs, a case of criminal force and assault, causing injury, was reported at Chanchaga Division against the suspect, one Mohammed Abba Yahaya, 26, of Tungan-goro, Minna. On 29/6/2024 at about 2100hrs, he assaulted one Hussena Sani, 25, of the same area, and inflicted serious injury on her.”

The statement added that the suspect was arrested on 30/6/2024. Yahaya claimed that he saw his female friend, Hussena Sani, being dropped off by a vehicle at Tungan-goro and, upon inquiring about the driver, did not receive a satisfactory response. An argument ensued, leading to a physical altercation in which Yahaya punched Sani in the face.

The victim was taken to the hospital for medical treatment, while the suspect has been transferred to the State Headquarters of the Niger State Police Command in Minna for further investigation and prosecution.

However, in a swift reaction, Hussena Sani, a 400-level Agriculture student at IBBU, Lapai, debunked the suspect’s confessional statement to police investigators, though she confirmed that Yahaya was her former boyfriend.

Sani, whose eyes were swollen and tightly closed, likely due to the beating by Yahaya, recounted her ordeal. She explained that the incident occurred on Saturday, 29/6/2024, at about 2100 hrs after she had seen off a visitor in his private car near her residence.

Sani stated that Yahaya, who saw her alight from the visitor’s car, angrily approached her and demanded to know the identity of the car owner and her relationship with him. When she replied that it was none of his business, he slapped her, followed by heavy blows to her face and body, causing her to fall to the ground with one eye bleeding profusely.

She further explained that Yahaya, upon realizing she was struggling in pain and crying for help, forcefully took her iPhone/Android phone and fled. Sani managed to walk slowly, holding her left eye, towards Yahaya’s house to report the incident to his parents. Unbeknownst to her, Yahaya accosted her again, hitting her on the remaining eye. She shouted at him, “Do you still want to kill me?” Yahaya responded that she was lucky he wasn’t carrying a knife, or he would have stabbed her to death.

Sani was later rushed to Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida Specialist Hospital in Chanchaga, Minna, for urgent medical attention and was subsequently referred to eye specialists at Minna General Hospital. She has started responding to treatment, though she still cannot see with one of her eyes as of Thursday.

Meanwhile, Hajiya Fatima, Sani’s mother, in a brief interview with our correspondent, described the injuries suffered by her daughter from her former boyfriend as unacceptable, wicked, and ill-treatment. She sent a passionate appeal to the Niger State Government and the State Police Command to ensure that Yahaya is held accountable for his alleged dastardly acts.

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The visibly distraught parent, who was crying throughout the interview, said her daughter’s precarious health condition was a great concern. She added that Sani was supposed to have returned to the university for the continuation of her academic program since last weekend, prior to the unfortunate incident.

Hajiya Fatima described the suspect as a brute, heartless, and a thief for snatching her daughter’s phone after inflicting serious injuries on her. She advocated for justice against Yahaya and a serious penalty to serve as a deterrent to others. She expressed appreciation to the Commissioner of Police, Niger State Command, CP Shawulu Ebenezer Danmamman, and his officers for the immediate arrest, detention, and investigation of the suspect, with plans for his prosecution upon completion of the investigation.

Fatima expressed fears that her daughter may be left with a permanent scar and trauma from the incident, emphasizing that justice must be served.