A 28-year-old woman, Firdausi Musa, and her two children have sustained severe burns after her co-wife, Maryam Muhammad, allegedly doused them with petrol and set them ablaze in Kano metropolis.
The incident occurred late Monday night in the Mai Allo area of Hotoro quarters, leaving residents in shock. The suspect is currently being held at the Mariri Police Division.
The victims Khadija Ya’u, 7, and Ismail Ya’u, 3 are receiving treatment alongside their mother at the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Dala, and Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital, Kano.
Their father, Malam Saminu, also reportedly sustained burns while trying to rescue them from the fire and is undergoing treatment.
Firdausi’s younger brother, Buhari Musa Sa’ad, said the family received a distress call around 3am informing them that his sister, her husband and the two children had been attacked by the co-wife.
According to him, Firdausi had spent less than two weeks in the matrimonial home before the incident happened.
“She is around 28 years old. The children who got burned are the ones she brought with her from her previous marriage. They are stepchildren to the husband, who works as a tricycle rider,” he said.
A relative of the victim, Rukayya, alleged that Firdausi had previously complained about threats and intimidation from the co-wife before the attack.
“We were lying down here when she was brought in, and she told us herself that it was her co-wife who poured petrol on her and lit a match,” she said.
Rukayya added that Firdausi had earlier left the house because of repeated threats but later returned following intervention by her husband.
Efforts to obtain a response from the Kano State Police Command were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report.
