Newlywed hacked to death in Jos

A newly married man  identified  as  Lawal Bala was on Tuesday afternoon hacked to death  by an unknown person  while relaxing in his home at Layin Sidi, Gangare in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State barely one month after his marriage. Read more

The deceased, said to be a butcher was  heard screaming and  later staggered out of his house with  a knife sticking out from his neck. An eye witness living close to the home of the deceased said she saw him outside his house with a knife in his neck  before he slumped and died while his wife, Maryam screamed “they have killed my husband.”

However, fingers were pointed at the wife of the deceased by members of the community, who alleged that she was the only one seen  with the deceased at the time of the incident. Daily Sun gathered that policemen from  C Division later took her into their custody  to save her from being lynched, while the corpse had been deposited at Plateau Specialist  Hospital for post mortem .

But the  elder brother, of the deceased and  Chairman of Butchers Association, Gangare ward, Alhaji Hamza Dikko  had a different view. He said Lawal had never complained to him about his wife since they got married.

The Chairman of All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) Gangare, said their marriage would be exactly one month old on Saturday; adding that he was at the mosque for zuhur prayer earlier in the afternoon  with the deceased.

A friend of the deceased, Zakaria Aliyu, said: “We were together this afternoon, and then 40 minutes later, someone called to tell me that Lawal had been killed;  that a knife was used to slit his throat.” Aliyu described the deceased as a gentleman and wondered if he had enemies. “We grew up together; he would not hurt a fly,” he stated.

He said when he heard the news, he  immediately went to the house and saw blood everywhere, adding,  “I just couldn’t look at him. We then went to the Gangare police station to report the matter.”

However, confirming the incident, the Plateau State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Felicia Anslem gave a different version. He said: “ Some armed men went to the house of Lawal Bala while he was with his wife and used a matchet to slit his throat. However, investigation is still on to get to the root of the matter.”