Police arrest six over Indian hemp possession, alleged murder
The Bauchi State Police Command has apprehended six suspects in two separate incidents involving the alleged possession of 69 blocks of suspected Indian hemp and the murder of a 45-year-old man linked to accusations of witchcraft.
Police Public Relations Officer SP Nafiu Habib announced the arrests in a statement on Wednesday, attributing the actions to intelligence-driven operations conducted by the police.
In a first incident on September 21, officers from the Gadau Division stopped a black Sharon Wagon with registration number WKA 805 near Sharfolli village in the Atafowa District around 3 p.m. Acting on credible intelligence, police detained two men, 35-year-old Shu’aibu Umar and 20-year-old Isah Ibrahim, both from Atafowa village. They were allegedly discovered with 69 blocks of dried leaves believed to be Indian hemp, concealed within bags of groundnuts. The suspects were taken into custody along with the recovered substances, which are now under investigation.
In a separate case, four individuals were arrested for the suspected murder of Garba Abdullahi, 45, from Dunari village in the Atafowa District. The police reported that Abdullahi was accused of causing the illness of a woman named Sawaida Dahiru.
This incident occurred on September 22 at approximately 11:40 a.m. while Abdullahi was returning from his farm. According to SP Habib, the suspects—identified as Shitu Dahiru, 25; Magaji Dahiru, 42; Sabiu Auwalu, 20; and Abbah Abdulzahar, 19—allegedly attacked Abdullahi with knives and machetes, inflicting severe injuries and rendering him unconscious.
Responding police officers transported Abdullahi to the General Hospital in Azare, where he was pronounced dead by a medical doctor. His body was later released to his family for burial.
Both cases have been referred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Bauchi for further investigation and potential prosecution.
